Is your wine PR message getting to the right people?

 

Today I received a press release from a winery that said: "You are not important enough to send a sample to, but here is what other wine writers thought about a wine you have not tasted."

Not in so many words, of course, but that was the clear message.

And it was sent by high-profile PR company that no doubt charges handsomely for its services.

I get the message. Some wine writers who saw the wine liked it, and reviewed it favourably. 

"It has captivated wine reviewers," the release said. "It has emerged as an unexpected superstar."

That is a message the winery probably wants to get into the hands of cellar door staff, its reps, its distributors and even to sommeliers. 

But instead this was sent to media. Not the right/write market.

I don't know of a single wine writer who would run a story about what other reviewers think of a wine that they haven't sampled. That just wouldn't make sense and would also be unethical. 

It is, of course, up to wineries who they send samples to. If they send them at all. Understood. 

Budgets are tight and ROI is important. And I am no James Halliday or Huon Hooke, who incidentally scored the wine 91 - hardly a superstar result. 

But here is the kicker: "The wine recently earned a bronze medal at the Langhorne Creek Wine Show, underscoring its exceptional quality and recognition within the industry."

OK. The producer is happy. But the agency should have offered some sage advice to its client.

I have asked this particularly agency not to send me any more of its releases.        

Travellers subjected to too much hotel jargon

Do you ever feel that you are the target of an endless torrent of marketing gibberish from hotels?

Travellers are forced to digest an increasing amount of jargon dribble - I get dozens of press releases from hotels each week and you can be sure that every one of the them - without fail - will include a number of key words.

Among them are "luxury", "eco-friendly", "design" and "sustainable". Quite often "holistic" gets a go, along with "curated", "dynamic" and "sanctuary".

1 Hotels, which describes itself as "the luxury lifestyle hotel brand inspired by nature" has just launched a new hotel on the San Francisco waterfront. The Embarcadero is not known for its nature, but that doesn't halt the spin.

The hospitality brand's second California property is San Francisco's "newest, most thoughtfully designed eco-friendly urban refuge. Integrating the best of sustainable design and architecture."

That's quite a few cliches in just one sentence.

Apparently, the property's 186 guest rooms and 14 suites capture "panoramic views of the Bay Area's rolling hills, sweeping fog, inspiring architecture, and stunning natural beauty.:

"1 Hotel San Francisco is an inspiring example of what our brand stands for," said 1 Hotels Founder and CEO & Chairman of Starwood Capital Group Barry Sternlicht.

"It is a tangible extension of our vision and purpose: to place holistic wellness at the forefront of our operations for our guests, local communities, and the planet.

"This vibrant and eclectic city has long been at the forefront of driving sustainable change in architecture and design. Inspired by that rich history, our goal is to infuse an urban oasis with the natural beauty of the Northern California landscape and the sensibility of this dynamic community."

Stop for a breath Barry.

So who are 1 Hotels?

In their own words: "As a luxury lifestyle hotel brand inspired by nature, 1 Hotels cultivates the best of sustainable design and architecture, together with extraordinary comfort and an unrivalled level of service." 

They provided the image above, which, to be frank, looks like generic hotel lobby 1-0-1. But I'm sure it's a very nice property.