Producers are 'sticking their heads in the sand' when it comes to talking to consumers, a conference has heard.
Gary Vaynerchuk, the relentless host of of US Wine Library TV, told the Winefuture conference in Rioja that wine producers are 'lazy', leaving retailers to talk to their consumers rather than doing it themselves.
He also slammed producers for failing to take advantage of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with their consumers.
'I don't give a crap about about Facebook and Twitter but I care about consumers,' Vaynerchuk told wine industry leaders.
'You should be embarrassed if you don't recognise that this platform allows you to talk to them.'
Vaynerchuk said the fact that he understood customer service was his unique selling point – not his fabled 'wackiness'.
'People think wine library TV was successful because I'm crazy and have toys on my table but plenty of people don't like it. I'm not the most educated but I'm passionate and I care. What is missing is customer service and caring.'
Ryan Opaz of Portugal and Spain specialists Catavino echoed Vaynerchuk, telling delegates they could stick their head in the sand or take advantage of the Internet. 'No matter what you think about it, it is powerful and it is important,' he warned.
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The mere fact that Gary Vaynerchuk is speaking before ANY reputable wine industry group should be proof positive that we need more communication from producers. Do not misunderstand me . . . I agree with him . . . and kudos to GV for his relentless (and successful) self-promotion. Lee Hammack
I just read with interest your article on Decanter.com about Gary Vaynerchuck saying that producers should tweet more. We are a small, independant Champagne winery located in the Aube region of France. We, like Mr Vaynerchuck, are "passionate and we care" about our customers. In addition to our newly created blog, we have a page on Facebook and a Twitter account. We love to communicate with consumers. The only problem is that not all of our clients are as apt followers of these social media outlets as we would like to think. Although I cannot back this up with scientific data, I would say the median age bracket of our typical customer is somewhere between 50 and 60 years of age. Again, I do not know the figures for what percentage of this age group uses social media. Yes, social media is a powerful tool, but it is only useful if your target consumer is actually using it! Jennifer Fluteau, Champagne Fluteau, Gyé Sur Seine, France
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The mere fact that Gary Vaynerchuk is speaking before ANY reputable wine industry group should be proof positive that we need more communication from producers. Do not misunderstand me . . . I agree with him . . . and kudos to GV for his relentless (and successful) self-promotion. Lee Hammack
