Wine PR: Morgan Moore & Alex Fondren, Glodow Nead Communications

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Morgan Moore, Director, and Alex Fondren, Associate Director, of Glodow Nead Communications, one of the largest independent lifestyle PR agencies focused on hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and real estate.  We discuss how wine is consumable art, the relevancy of trade magazines and wine critics, and how Glodow Nead creates partnerships between clients to develop great synergies.  Other topics covered in this episode include:Glodow Nead - started in the entertainment industry (“meat in seats”), the 1st West Coast agency to have offices in Asia (Singapore, Shanghai)Sample beverage clients: Plumpjack Group, Pine Ridge, Donum Estate, Seghesio, Bodega Garzon (Uruguay), Phantom Creek Estates (Okanagan Valley, Canada)PR firms - the primary job is to secure earned mediaEarned media - articles (or broadcast, social media) that are not an advertisement, has not been paid for or in exchange for the product; more trusted than paid mediaWine is “consumable art” that can’t be compared to any other consumer productWine critics are still relevant - for collectors, at point of saleTrade magazines shifting focus - Wine Enthusiast has been promoting celebrity winesWine coverage has grown beyond trade magazines to other media3 goals for PR firms for wineries: drive sales, brand awareness, & brand relevancyBusiness model: monthly retainer, 1-year contracts with a 30-day notice for cancellation; generally $5-20,000 per monthPR ROI: give earned media the same value as a paid advertisement (e.g., a 1-page feature article in Travel + Leisure may be worth $5-10,000 as the cost of the equivalent advertisement)Article lead timesLong lead times - e.g., Wine Spectator works 6 months in advanceMedium lead times - e.g., San Francisco or Los Angeles Magazine work 3 months in advanceShorter lead times - e.g., Wine Spectator Online works within the weekGlodow Nead differentiationMore than just wine - can bring more stories to more journalists, including lifestyle publicationsGlobal clients - journalists get more excited about the potential to write about topics globallyPartnerships between clients (e.g., hotels, resorts, celebrity chefs)Big events departmentExample campaigns: Plumpjack Winery - hired Glodow Nead because of entertainment experience - wanted to bottle their most expensive wine in screwcaps - the screwcap vs. cork campaign was one of the most successful everFlowers Winery - opened a new tasting room and articles about it drove traffic to their sitePartnership Examples: St Regis SF’s Polo Cup with Hamel Family Wines, Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe, hosted high-end wine dinners and private dinners with wine clients, Napa Valley Wine Train hosts winemaker dinners and spotlight tastingsTraits for good wine PR people - 1st be obsessed with media, then wine knowledgeIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.