Wine
Insider is an old school D2C company.
Founded in 1982, their primary consumers are Baby Boomers. Their media selections reflect this as they
continue to rely on direct mail, ads in Sunday newspapers and discount cards. It's a trifecta of senior media.
In a
nod to the growth of social media, the company now uses Facebook and Instagram
as well.
But
they appear to be most excited about their performance on QVC, which they ran
with earlier this year. The segment was
hosted by Chris Hoel, a former sommelier at The French Laundry, and was in
their words "performing very nicely for us." It is consistent with their core positioning
as wine experts who can advise you on the best choices and get you the best
prices, so it is clearly a good fit.
They also
note that they get some of their best customers from referrals. 10 referrals gets you some free wine.
Wine
Insider does offer subscription services, for those who prefer them, but it
isn't a company priority. (Mahoney,
2019)
While
their media selection is perfect for their primary target it doesn't really
cover media that reaches Gen Z and Millennials.
But that doesn't mean some of them aren't seeing these efforts and being
influenced by them.
Do you
receive direct mail? Read a Sunday
newspaper? Perhaps you got a coupon is
your order from jet.com? What about
QVC? Are you a fan? Has YouTube replaced it? Or something else? Who do you look to for advice on wine
purchases?
