To implement or not to Implement That is

To implement or not to Implement – That is the question Bilbao– October 2017 International Wine Club Association

Our experience with the IWCA • Vinoselección, one of the founder clubs of the IWCA. • We have assisted to most workshops and congresses. • The balance? ideas, inspiration, experiences…and friends.

Inspiration – Back in 1996 – Our business To turn a one-night stand… …into a long-standing marriage Andie Mac. Dowell and Bill Murray Catherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy Recruit and sell.

Ideas that we have implemented.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) • When: We heard it for the first time in a IWCA meeting – Wine & Co - 2007 • The process: further analysis + complete redesign of web + increase of product selection. • What we did: We launched SEO in 2009. • The results: up from 15. 000 to 500. 000 SEO visits per year in the first 3 years.

The weeping campaign • When: Heard from Direct Wines. How to reactivate lost customers due to a big service failure. Personal letter from Tony Laithwaites to show his concern for the customer’s disappointment and an offer to come back to the club. • What was the main idea: • Inactive customers after first sale get an incentive. • …and a letter “We have done something really bad for you not to continue buying from us”. • Great offer, big discount. • The results: 25% successful. The campaign was then copied by Vodafone Spain.

The time to jump into social network • When: Tuscany – 2012 – A conversation with Mike Ratcliffe from Warwick Wine. • The project: selection of a team within the marketing department, courses, new copywriter. • The results: • We weren’t pioneers but we didn’t find any problems to expand our audience. • Best results in 2015 with Facebook. • An activity integrated in marketing, content and contact center.

Corporate agreements • What: The experience of Direct Wines with Sunday Times Wine Club led us to do the same. • How: 2 years of negotiations with different media until we reached an agreement with El País newspaper. • The results: • Working under the umbrella of El País brand worked very well since 2004. • New audience (75% new customers). • Growth in sales and customers. • Now: Decline alongside the decline of newspapers.

Ideas that we didn’t implement.

Jump into the Internet in 2000 • When: 1995 -1999: The first presentations of web sites from wine clubs members. No sales. • What we decided: 2000 looked like the year to jump in. Looked like a cool investment, banks loved the project, 500. 000 $ budget to be the wine portal but no one in the IWCA was selling anything. We decided to postpone. The results: in 2003 we launched our first site. 25. 000 € budget. We sold that year through the web 25. 000 €. So it paid for itself.

And the many things we have in common We do mystery cases We test We segment We tell stories We suffer a lot But we enjoy wine and make it enjoyable