New York is the third largest wine producer in the country, only behind West Coast states California and Washington. As competition in the industry increases, Strategic Communication Lecturer Kevin Visconti believes New York vintners could attain a solid place in the domestic market by highlighting sustainable practices in their marketing strategies.
Dr. Visconti, has recently published an article in the July 2021 issue of Corporate Communications: An International Journal on how Hudson River Region wineries could distinguish themselves by using green marketing on their bottle labels.
“This paper,” the article states, “reveals the potential for the Hudson River Region wine industry to promote its ‘distinctive’ and ‘innovative’ environmental philosophy of ‘terroir driven and sustainably produced’ winemaking on wine bottle labels to differentiate themselves in a crowded and expanding marketplace and build a Basis of Legitimacy with consumers.”
In examining all 13 wineries on the Shawangunk Wine Trail, Dr. Visconti discovered that “less than half of wineries in the sample selection employ environmental marketing as a communication strategy.” The paper highlights the fact that consumers are now more informed and aware of sustainable food production, which consequently increases demand for brands that employ green practices.
Dr. Visconti cites a study which “confirms that wine drinkers in the United States judge wineries by their labels” and argues this should be the method of communication to green consumers. As packaging design first impressions are primarily how consumers decide which wine to purchase, labels need to convey a distinct story or message about the winery. Dr. Visconti posits environmental communication on them may distinguish certain wineries and attract environmentally conscious customers.
Dr. Visconti sees great potential in green marketing on wine labels for the Hudson River Region, and furthermore suggests that “arguably it is the wine industry that must champion the natural world since their survival depends on it.”
The full article can be read online here.
