Drinking Buddies: The Impact of Vintage CRM
My husband and I are members of two wine and spirits-related CRM programs. One has led to us making more purchases. The other hasn’t generated many additional buys – but has created a lot of good will.
On a visit to Newport Vineyards (http://www.newportvineyards.com) a few years back, we purchased a case of lovely wines, and signed up for the vineyards’ Case Club.
Members of the club receive discounts off cases of wine, and the discount level rises after a certain number of cases are purchased, over several visits. And, members are also invited to special events like the upcoming “Harvest Celebration” on Nov. 3. Admission is $7, but members attend for free.
We went to a similar holiday event at Newport Vineyards last December, and enjoyed tasting recent vintages and snacking on the free samples of cheeses, chocolates and gourmet foods as well. Did we pick up a case of wine while we were there? With the additional discount offered on the day of the event, we would have been remiss not to have made a purchase.
The club succeeds in making members feel like they have a VIP status with the winery, even though contact is minimal and often limited to just a few postcards a year.
The other program we belong to is the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Squire Association. While visiting the distillery (http://www.jackdaniels.com) in Lynchburg a while back, I signed a guest book, offering up my mailing address but never really expecting to receive anything.
A few months later, I was delighted to receive a “deed” to a teeny tiny plot of property near the distillery. The accompanying letter informed me that my property was small and completely surrounded by the property of other Squires, and that the good folks at JD would keep it up for me.
They also promised to keep me updated on any activity on my land. True to their word, every so often I get a letter from the Association, letting me know that a neighbor had fixed a broken fencepost abutting my land, or that a local farmer’s horse had gotten loose and trampled my grass again, or the like.
The letters never mention Jack Daniels, and are written in the most homespun way possible. Once a year, I also receive a calendar from the Squires. (You can find information about the Association here — http://www.jdcollectorspage.com/TSAssociation.html). My membership hasn’t markedly increased my whiskey consumption – heavy drinking unfortunately isn’t conducive to the lifestyle of a mom with little kids. But do I have brand affinity with Jack? You bet.
