The 2023 Wine Industry Sales Symposium, presented by Wine Industry Network (WIN), proved to be an unparalleled platform for learning, networking, and charting the course towards success in the dynamic world of wine sales to its attendees. The one-day educational conference featured wine industry experts speaking on all aspects of sales and marketing, including 3-Tier…
Grappa lovers get an education at Hello Grappa! Days From June 14 to 16, 2023 in New York City, Balzac administered and managed a series of educational marketing events for the traditional Italian spirit Grappa at Hello Grappa! Days 2023. Grappa is experiencing a resurgence of interest due to its sustainability (it’s made from grape…
Last month (July 2023), agency president Michael Wangbickler was in Tbilisi, Georgia. The purpose of the trip was to conduct a day-long workshop on wine marketing and wine tourism. This was supported by a number of meetings with top officials and winery owners. Throughout the week, both Eter Gorgiladze (our expert in Georgia) and Mike…
With Black History Month upon us, we wanted to reflect on one of our core values: focus on diversity, inclusivity, and equity. The wine business has been in crisis-mode for several years, centered around its lack of diversity and inclusion. It’s always been there. It was just ignored or discounted by most executives. The pressure…
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are those that have a deep understanding of a particular field, job, process, material, or any other specific area. This expertise comes from years (If not decades) working with the subject matter at hand. Likely, the individual has advanced degrees pertaining to their subject while also engaging in continuous education to…
Government Case Studies Napa Flood ProjectNapa PipeNapa Firewise GOVERNMENT Americans are increasingly making it clear that they expect the same level of communication from government as they enjoy with brands in other industries. This is especially true when it comes to digital engagement. In a survey of more than 3,000 U.S. citizens conducted by Accenture in…
Wellness Case Studies Studio Phyzz FITNESS People want to eat healthier, feel better and live longer. That desire has caused a boom in the global wellness market, which now garners almost $4 trillion dollars each year. The supplement industry alone contributes over $120 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Dominating everything from beauty to food to lifestyle, wellness…
Ag Commissioner Case Studies Napa Valley Ag Commissioner AG COMMISSIONERS & DEPARTMENTS Agriculture commissioners and departments are charged with the protection of agriculture, the protection of the environment as well as protection of the public’s health and safety in their communities. These goals are accomplished through the management of programs designed to achieve set goals…
Gourmet Food Producer Case Studies Napa Cookie CompanyMezzettaIl Fiorello Olive Oil GOURMET FOOD PRODUCERS Every day, gourmet food brands face a new wave of increased pressure from consumers, digital influencers, regulators and other stakeholders to drive change. Selling gourmet food introduces a whole set of unique challenges. Successful marketing depends on understanding those challenges and…
Hotel & Resort Case Studies Napa River Inn HOTELS & RESORTS Marketing in necessary in helping hotels and resorts to attract bookings and optimise revenue. For the most part, the marketing messages are how customers will become aware of the hotel and also how they will understand their values and unique selling proposition. Through the…
Wine Case Studies Wente VineyardsUnion des Grands Crus de BordeauxBenovia Winery Wine Marketing Services in Napa County, CA Wine is where we started nearly 30 years ago, and we continue to work with wineries and wine regional associations throughout the world. Every week, we’re in contact with the key wine media, influencers, and trade. We…
Contemporary marketing involves running and monitoring different processes to attain the desired results. This can make it quite difficult for businesses to grow sustainably if they lack the right tools for collaboration, communication, customer service, and marketing. Today, over 75 percent of marketers use at least one type of marketing tool to optimize their campaigns.…
Keeping your audience informed about your products, services, or brand is essential to stay relevant within the wines and spirits industry. Today, companies are spending about 10.5 percent of their revenue on marketing activities, such as SEO, videos, blogging, PPC ads, and more. While these strategies effectively generate the desired results, many brands do not…
If this year has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. Business as usual has become business in crisis. Things happen, and it’s best to be prepared. At Balzac, we have 30 years of wine industry experience and have seen a thing or two. It’s like those Farmer’s Insurance commercials. We’ve just about seen…
Targeting digital audiences is just a matter of creating content that informs, inspires, and attracts the right customers. With up to 98 percent of B2B swearing by content marketing, it’s opportune for wines & spirits marketers to capitalize on the opportunities digital marketing offers. Most brands have had success with the use of social media…
When companies hire a marketing agency, they’re hoping that someone will view their business with as much excitement and respect as they do. The right agency knows your customers, inside and out, and feels just as strongly about the business mission as the company itself. A good agency-client relationship is a dream, but how can…
In the wine and spirits industry, we aim to please our customers with high quality beverages. Why not go further and show that you can relate to consumers on multiple levels? Your take on public relations during current events, such as the Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, matters. Taking a stance on…
Many craft beverage producers find themselves in need of public relations help, but often discover that hiring a specialist is out of reach. Hiring a full-service agency may be too much of a commitment at first. This is a pain point that we’ve discussed with many potential clients. We think we have the solution.…
Social media is both the great promise and the frustrating curse of beverage marketing. On the one hand, it allows us direct access to our customers, without having to go through gatekeepers. On the other, it’s challenging to know what are best practices and how to most effectively use the tools. This is especially so,…
We’re thrilled to report that Emma Criswell is celebrating her six-month anniversary with the company. Criswell has a decade of experience in the wine and spirits industries and her addition adds key expertise to the management team. Not content to simply rule California, our president, Michael Wangbickler has plans to expand the company’s footprint nationally.…
Winery websites are moving away from “brochureware” to real eCommerce platforms. In order to accomplish this, multiple technologies are required.
Helping build beverage websites is fun. It never gets old and is always a challenge. Because as soon as sell alcohol online, things get pretty interesting.
The Prohibition Hangover Yes, tied-house laws are confusing, and violating them may have serious consequences – fines, impacts on your license to do business in other states, and even potential suspension of your license. “Tied-house” – to most people outside the alcoholic-beverage industry (and a fair number of us in the industry), this is an…
Napa County Agricultural Preserve Celebrates 50 YearsActivities planned throughout the year to celebrate golden anniversary Napa, CA (February 22, 2018): The Napa County Agricultural Preserve marks its 50-year anniversary in 2018. To celebrate this momentous milestone, community leaders from the Jack L. Davies Napa Valley Agricultural Land Preservation Fund and other organizations from throughout Napa…
Bottle Talk with RICK and PAUL Join CPR Podcast Lineup What next? The Apocalypse? Sacramento, CA – Capital Public Radio, Sacramento’s NPR station, is now featuring Bottle Talk with Rick and Paul in its podcast lineup alongside such NPR standards as Fresh Air, MarketPlace, A Prairie Home Companion, Science Friday, and Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me. Go…
At Balzac Communications, we work hard to connect with our clients and deliver the results they want. After all, having strong client and media relationships is what public relations is all about. That’s why initial face-to-face meetings with potential new clients are so valuable. It’s the opportunity for us to listen to them speak about…
As a secret addict of Territory Ahead clothing catalogs, I was interested to read recently in the Wall Street Journal (which found its way into the design department from the PR folks next door) regarding “Why You Get So Many Catalogs.” The upshot is that, as we know, print and web marketing work very well…
