“WINE FUTURE” WILL BE MORE SOCIAL: CREATE RELATIONS BETWEEN CONSUMERS AND WINE FIRST, AND THEN DO BUSINESS. NETWORKS GREATLY INCREASE THE POWER OF “WORD OF MOUTH” WHICH ARE 70% OF PURCHASES, SAY THE “GURUS” IN HONG KONG

Are Internet and social medias the antidote to the drop in wine consumption in the Old World, the driving force of growth in the U.S. and the rudder for New World consumers? They are not the only answer to these three topics, but pretty close, as long as it is understood that their function is to establish relationships between producers and consumers first and do business second. Or at least, this is what the experts at “WineFuture” in Hong Kong say (www.winefuture.hk). First of all, to understand the impact of social medias in the world of wine, here is some data from Lulie Halstead, CEO of the UK research agency Wine Intelligence: “among frequent wine drinkers, those who regularly use wine related social medias are 13% in the UK, 21% in the U.S., 13% in France and 62% in China (referring to wine consumers in tier 1 cities). The wine producer is not only a user, but also a content creator (on twitter, facebook, blogs and so on) and the percentages drop to 5%, 11%, 5% and 48%”.
The first consideration, looking at China, is that the web is key to creating relationships with consumers in the largest market in Asia. But looking at the other three historical wine consumer countries, one wonders whether the Internet and social media for wine are just a passing fad? “Not at all, they are a very important reality,” replies David Pearson, CEO of Opus One, the Californian joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, which in a few years has become a symbol of American viticulture, thanks also to activity on the Web, “but the mistake is to think that that’s all you need. Having a website, Facebook or Twitter account in itself is nothing. Social networks are useful above all to create a relationship with the public, to understand what the public thinks of you, to invite people to the winery. Wine producers do not sell wine, they sell experience and the aspiration to access a high quality of life where wine is a symbol. It has always been this way, but technology allows an evolution in marketing approach where the consumer has a say about a brand, and we must respond to the needs and the dynamics that the public asks of us.
The goal is to be part of the conversation, because 70% of consumer choices, even of fine wines, is by word of mouth”. “And social media are dramatically expanding the power of word of mouth”, says “Mr. Wine Library”, Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the pioneers of “Wine 2.0” in the video conference from the U.S., adding: “Internet and social medias are not a bubble, they are a tool, a place where many people gather, and we, who work in the wine world, must work at top capacity to build relationships, tell stories and do business. Soon everyone not only in the West, but also in the East, will have a smartphone, and each one of us will be a network.
People have always had relationships: this is just an evolution. And I notice that when someone is in my or another wine shop to buy something, they always have a cell phone in their hand, to find the shop where the product is available or to search for information: this is called “social shopping” - people buying something that “their network” of contacts has told them about”. The potential of “social medias” is enormous, but the risks must be calculated, too: “they can be used to build, and also used against you,” says Jakob Johansen, one of the greatest experts in branding and communications working in China for over 10 years, “but it is “democracy” and eventually the best will emerge. Wineries, however, must change their approach, their communication structures and marketing, if they want to focus on social media. 
It should not, however, be used just because advertising costs less than “traditional” channels, but because you really want to create a relationship and the money you save should be invested in facilities to maintain that relationship, because if you mess up on social networks you get negative comments, which is even worse than when a traditional publicity campaign is ignored. Especially in China, we must believe in wine, because we can penetrate the market much better”.
In short, according to opinion leaders, we cannot think of the Internet and its social impact to ride what Vaynerchuk says “is the best time in history for wine because there have never been as many consumers as now, there are new producing countries that are growing in quality, and on social networks there is a mix of “idiots” like me... and experts like Parker and Robinson, who are developing relationships, which is wonderful. There are more and more people telling their stories to consumers who become part of the story and share it, there is a more emotional and direct contact, thanks to technology. I’m not doing business with all the people I contact, I want to build relationships with people who love wine or would like to love wine, and this is a process that when it starts, is unstoppable and later will open the door to business. If you think that in 5 years these things have changed dramatically, you will be surprised by the next 5…. ” Because “WineFuture” like everything else, will be more on the web...