Wine fun. How marketers forced the whole world to drink tasteless sour food

2023-11-14 01:30:04

Irina Selezneva

5 hours ago

If you are French and have a vineyard, you will not be lost, because the geographical origin of the drink already indicates its quality. The winemakers of the Beaujolais region thought so too. However, their product – a young sour wine with floral and fruity notes – for some reason did not sell well. Unless alcoholics were ready to drink a bottle or two if there was nothing else. And by spring they too refused: the drink turned into vile vinegar. All investments and labors of winemakers were flushed down the toilet – literally. And then marketers got down to business.

In order to sell a product that is not of the highest quality, you need to highlight its strengths or turn its disadvantages into advantages. Does the region have an unstable climate, the vines often get sick, and the grapes ripen poorly? We use accelerated technology, add sugar and yeast and make the finished product in 1.5 months. Is it poorly stored and is it legally prohibited from being sold later than March 1 of the next year? This means you need to drink everything earlier. How to get people to swallow this swill? Let’s organize a celebration of new wine and tell you that this is an ancient tradition! A sort of wine New Year.

And now the whole world knows that on the third Thursday of November (this year it falls on the 16th) shops and restaurants will explode with the slogan: “Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived!” New wine will flow like a river, and during a week of festivities, competitions, and special offers, most of the goods will be gone. However, bottles from the previous vintage will remain in stores until the next one – maybe someone will be tempted.

The French themselves hardly drink Beaujolais Nouveau. But tourists are being scammed: prices for November tours with visits to wineries during the New Wine Festival are comparable to the cost of Christmas and New Year’s tours. The Japanese and Koreans turned out to be especially susceptible, for whom it is easiest to sell wine that tastes primitive at exorbitant prices, charging up to 150 euros per bottle.

However, the holiday has taken root with us too. In recent years, serious wine market professionals have refused to deal with Beaujolais Nouveau – this is undignified. But many establishments, out of habit, will purchase a batch of “new” ones. In general, there is nothing terrible about this holiday. The main thing to remember:

The wine is very light, drinks like compote. In order not to wake up the next morning with a splitting head, know when to stop (you remember that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to health, right?). The red price of Beaujolais Nouveau is 1 – 2 euros per bottle. In our case, it’s 400 – 600 rubles. It’s not worth a thousand rubles, much less higher, as in some stores. There is no need to buy Beaujolais Nouveau from the current vintage next year. The Beaujolais region is part of Burgundy, famous for its wines. It grows Gamay grapes. Both the region and the grape are undeservedly losing their reputation due to Beaujolais Nouveau. But they produce good aged wines with an elegant bouquet. You just have to choose Beaujolais Village or Beaujolais Cru.

One tablet is enough

Avocado is now a frequent guest in the kitchen, despite its bland taste, inconvenient slippery flesh and unpresentable appearance. And this fruit also changed its name. Previously it was called alligator pear, and with such a name only a big lover of exotic things could buy it. So the marketers hired by the owners of the plantations of this berry had to work hard.

After changing the name, they decided to play on the main property – fat content. Purchased nutritionists were full of compliments on the healthy fat, and Americans became so hooked on avocados that in the ten years since the first campaign, its sales have increased fivefold. To increase recognition, they made a cheerful character out of avocado and began sculpting it on T-shirts, socks, notepads, etc.

The plus is that the product is really useful. But there are restrictions: avocados should not be eaten by pregnant women, small children, allergy sufferers and those with liver problems. The rest should follow the limit, no more than half a fruit per day.

Forests in South America and Africa are being massively cut down for avocado plantations, and they are grown using large amounts of chemicals. So, by eating a healthy product, we cause enormous damage to the environment.

A brilliant move by advertisers in the 1960s: in the commercial, the hero will dissolve two Alka-Seltzer tablets in a glass, although one is enough for the desired effect. Many people later adopted it. For example, put two pieces of gum in your mouth or lather your hair with shampoo twice. The consumer does not even think that his hair will become clean after the first use. The product sells out twice as fast, and the buyer runs for a new one.

When Red Bull appeared, Pepsi and Coca-Cola already ruled the market. Then all such drinks were offered as tonics and stimulants, so it was necessary to figure out how to move these monsters. The basis of the promotion strategy was developed by the company’s co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who at first glance took unpopular steps. Reduce the volume of the can, make it look like a battery, double the price and pay retailers to put the drink not among drinks, but in unexpected places – at the cash register, next to confectionery or, for example, snacks. They also brought boxes of Red Bull to students’ places of residence and initially distributed them for free. So they made the iconic soda from it.

Photo source: Globallookpress.com/© Kento Nara

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