Last class, we discussed "authenticity" when it comes to wines like Inniskillin, which brought acclaim, and subsequent growth, to the Canadian wine industry after being awarded the Grand Prix d’Honneur at Vinexpo in 1991. While definitely a notable triumph back then, I question whether this restructuring of opinion in the ‘90s remains relevant and compelling as a selling point for Inniskillin today. Specifically, given the importance of attracting the millennial market, I wonder whether harkening back to a storied, potentially nationalistic history as a means of incentivizing consumption remains a viable tactic for any wine company today.
To promote Inniskillin, the brand has recently released a 60-second, high-budget, cinematic advertisement that highlights both the history of the brand and what it meant for Canada’s reputation in the wine world. While interesting and well done, the advertisement suggests to me that Inniskillin is both out-of-touch with the modern consumer and unsure about its target demographic.
For one, unless they plan on airing this advertisement during major sporting events*, which are the reason why many people still watch live TV, I don’t see where it would possibly resonate. Long-form advertisements are widely seen as burdensome, with many skipping YouTube advertisements after 5 seconds. In an influencer-centric millennial generation, where social media traction or word-of-mouth arguably exert more influence than traditional advertisements, this commercial feels unnecessary.
With regard to demographic, the advertisement is confusing. Its framing of Inniskillin as “The Original Start-Up” (the ad’s title) seems to pander to the modern zeitgeist, while its heightening of the glory days and the brand’s resilience may be a means of inspiring nostalgia in older consumers. However, the brand’s signature wine is upmarket, and I don’t think affluent, likely older wine consumers base their purchasing decisions on commercials. If the ad is attempting to heighten Canadian pride, stressing that the brand was founded by an Austrian and an Italian doesn’t really help its case. If anything, this ad may dilute the Inniskillin brand and its “authenticity.”
Thus, I wonder if Inniskillin has made the wrong move and, more broadly, whether a focus on history and traditional advertising remains a successful means of targeting modern consumers.
*Wine is not commonly advertised during major sporting events. In fact, Anheuser-Busch has exclusive category rights for the Super Bowl. This means that wine companies, such as Yellow Tail in 2018, have to make ad buys in local markets to circumvent the rule (Source).
Wow, what great timing for us on the timing of the new ad! I actually quite enjoyed it - I think the title "The Original Start-Up" is a bit strange, I would have suggested something like "Against All Odds" or playing up the immigrant story (I feel like that resonates with being Canadian, perhaps increasing authenticity). I would even consider watching this if it became a movie!
ReplyDeleteI'd also argue that the long-form advertisement is not completely classé - it has potential to go viral if shared on social networks like Facebook. One of my favorites is "Dream Crazier" by Nike, which clocks in at 1 minute 30 seconds. I have seen similar concepts ahead of events like the Super Bowl. Here is an article that discusses how people view ads both before and after seeing them on TV, often watching the full version: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nelsongranados/2019/02/08/2019-super-bowl-ads-were-viewed-massively-online-before-and-after-the-game/#e3d201141b04
Joe- thank you for your post. While I would agree with you that Inniskillin may eventually find that pivoting away from long-form traditional TV advertisement is necessary to have optimal impact, I don’t necessarily agree that selling an authentic even nationalist story of the wine is an out-of-date strategy even with a millennial audience.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the concept of “authenticity” is squishy, but must center around the ability of an entity or brand to establish a unified anecdote of origin that is widely understandable and respected. In the case of Inniskillin, the way that story has been told so far has been intrinsically linked to its Canadian identity. Much like one might think of France when drinking a champagne (and perhaps one thinks of associated luxury brands), Inniskillin seems to benefit form a link to Canada and an association with a cold and rugged growing climate for ice wine. I would venture to guess that this story is central to what makes Inniskillin such a successful traveler’s gift- gift giving is always more fun when there is a short story involved. Failure to embrace a narrative that adds a quick and interesting story to your product would be in my opinion a missed opportunity. It will be interesting to watch how Inniskillin perpetuates (or doesn’t) this narrative in new mediums as its advertising budget ultimately shifts away from main-stream TV to other more viral-ready media outlets.
As an aside, I do buy your comment about the potential for anecdote confusion with the introduction of the Austrian and Italian elements in the commercial. I would likely prioritize simplicity of brand history in my marketing over completeness of story.
Joe, I was also confused by this ad's positioning. Regarding Lisa's comment, the potential for long format ads to go viral is not something to laugh at, but this ad seems to be missing any element that would lead to that viral sharing. Namely, it is missing cute animals; humor or absurdity; a shocking twist or gasp inducing moment; an emotional story that tugs at the heartstrings; or celebrities.
ReplyDeleteOn top of this, the ad does not feel authentic. It in fact feels like a remake of the Dodge Brothers ad. A counterexample to this ad is the classic Budweiser ad with the dog running with the clydesdale horses set against the American Western landscape. While absurd on its face, the ad evokes feelings of companionship, belonging, and the rugged cowboy Western mindset. This is, in essence, what Budweiser is: a simple beer meant for humble barbecues with friends that might just make you feel a bit like a cowboy. The ad is authentic because of its singular, emotional messaging and the fact that it distills the essence of the product it is selling.
In order to sell Inniskillin, an alternative ad would have shown sweeping images of the Canadian landscape; vineyards covered in frost; frozen grapes being crushed in the unique ice winemaking process; and people of many cultures, dressed in chic apparel, sipping the ice wine in luxurious, imageable locations. This would have matched the product's branding to its target demographic while also depicting the brand essence that the case described: a luxury product representing the unique Canadian wine industry and its northern provenance. The fact that it instead simply remade a different ad with a confused, scattershot message is concerning. It will be interesting to watch what happens to Inniskillin's branding, and whether this shift is permanent or temporary.
Thanks for your post Joe. I similarly feel conflicted about the positioning of this ad.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, I agree with you that this is unlikely to have any pull with the Millennial consumer given the lack of humor and the length of the ad. I also agree that Inniskillin hardly feels like a startup today with its upmarket positioning and price so positioning it as such feels somewhat hypocritical, which most Millennial consumers would see right through. Finally, the medium is indeed likely unable to reach Millennial North American consumers who likely do not watch much traditional TV.
However, I don't know that a TV commercial is a bad way to reach baby boomers, who still watch traditional television and are currently the biggest consumers of wine. Also, the original market for Inniskillin was in Asia, where I'm sure regulations around broadcasting in sporting events are very different from what they are in America given that this is a very young market. Given the immense growth of the Chinese market, this is not to be underestimated.
Finally, the Italian, Irish and Austrian references do feel profoundly Canadian to me as Canada is a country of immigrants where the integration model is seen to be a "mosaic" in opposition to the American melting pot (i.e. the cultures of origin of immigrants is viewed integral to Canadian identity as a whole by providing multiple very different examples of what Canadians can be like). In my personal experience of having briefly worked in Japan, this perception seems to be shared there as lots of people have told me that they have no clear expectation of what a Canadian "should look like". I can also see this message potentially resonating with European consumers for its balance of foreignness and proximity. It could be interpreted as having "their people" move to a far away land to make this great product.
Overall, I think this is a fine ad for the time being but is not a very sustainable strategy in the longer term. If Inniskillin wants to reach a younger market once Millennials start having the means to purchase its products, they will need to find a very different messaging and medium.