It’s no secret that with the world we are living in today, social media has proven once again that it is a vital hotspot to embrace creative marketing and get your branded message across like never before. With an ever-changing digital landscape, businesses have remained agile as social media has allowed them to connect and co-create with customers by providing a platform to cultivate connection and deliver to their changing consumer needs. We’ve faced up to these marketing challenges over the last few months and made the most of a sticky situation by acting creatively. Cue, the McGuigan Wines Cellar Door Livestream.
Case Study: McGuigan Wines:
McGuigan Wines is situated in the heart of the Hunter Valley with a reputation that precedes them not just for us Aussies but internationally. McGuigan Wines was crowned Australian Winemaker of the Year 2019 by WineState Magazine and in the past decade has been awarded International Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine & Spirits competition a record four times . Quality, consistency, value and innovation represents the hallmark of the McGuigan Brand.
If you’ve gone wine hopping in the Hunter Valley before with either your besties, family or S.O 👯♀, you’ll know that McGuigan Wines promotes their brand as an ‘experience’ brought to life at their cellar door by offering unforgettable wine tastings and tours to truly capture their lifestyle.
The challenge:
As the Hunter Valley wine region is a tourist hotspot for those weekend escapes, the McGuigan Cellar Door is at the top of any visitors to-do list when they arrive . Back in the day (more like 2 months ago) when domestic travel was off the table and indoor gatherings were a far-fetched notion, McGuigan Wines temporarily shut their cellar door due to COVID-19 government restrictions. For McGuigan Wines, the cellar door is the heart of their business, allowing them to host their iconic wine tours/groups and sell exclusive wines. This has largely disrupted their business-as-usual mojo both financially and culturally, calling for an innovative solution
The solution:
As McGuigan Wines was faced with an unprecedented challenge, unexpected yet beneficial digital changes emerged to facilitate a sense of normalcy. They took the opportunity to renovate their cellar door to make it more appealing for future visits and we put our creative caps on when McGuigan wines hosted a ‘My Wine Hero’ livestream via Facebook. It evolved into a virtual wine tasting and Q&A to bring the cellar door to the comfort of people’s homes on the 7th of May. We assisted in demonstrating how McGuigan has stayed connected with their customers by using social media to drive engagement. We also used strong community management techniques by proactively replying and reacting to comments and inbox messages left on their social channels before, during and after the live stream.
The results:
Pre-event advertising was essential as we set up a Facebook event that notified all followers to save the date, and we went live as well as sending out a brand awareness ad in the week leading up to the event to generate public interest. Neil McGuigan, one of Australia’s leading winemakers with more than 70 years of family winemaking history, was our star talent in which he prepared to help connect with his audience and educated them on the wide range of McGuigan Wines. With the video having over 3120 views since it went live and conducting an analysis of the comments, tells McGuigan wines that they have a highly engaged audience who want to spend their spare time engaging with the brand and learning more about the wine.
Looking to the future:
McGuigan Wines are looking at making their livestream wine tastings a regular part of their series and experience even as the Cellar Door has reopened to further promote engagement and connect with the audience on a personal level. We are looking to collaborate with trade marketing in future and tie in the option to purchase a tasting pack with pre-advertising measure, allowing people to buy a box and taste along at home – ultimately making it a full rounded experience.
If you’re wondering what the future may look like for your business, one thing we know for sure is that COVID-19 has shown us new ways to interact with our fans. Drop us a line here if you have any questions or want to know more!
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Kristy is a compassionate, fearless team lead, obsessed with the art of baking. With experience in fashion and interior design, she loves the ocean and will never say no to a good bowl of pasta.
