Wine advertising still as flat as musty grape juice

"As far as fresh and exciting advertising goes, wine seriously lags behind the innovative, vibrant campaigns launched by alcohol products such as beer, cider, cooler and ready-to-drinks. In general, advertising agencies seem to do little to make wine sexy and appealing," says Raymond Kieser, MD of agency JWT Cape Town. "This is especially intriguing in light of the fact that wine producers in South Africa - and all over the world - are concerned about the competition they face from ready-to-drinks, coolers and spirits. Especially for the youth market with its long-term relationship potential."

Kieser says most wine advertising seems to be done in wine-only magazines, with campaigns eschewing lifestyle publications with larger readerships and more potential and current wine buyers.

"Not only is the media scope tremendously limited, but it is also an international trend that the creative side of wine advertising is stuck in a different marketing era than the one we are currently in," he says. "Still photos of dusty bottles, styled glasses and sunny estates are still favoured by wine advertisers and have not kept-up with the times. Surveys show that the potential growth in the wine market lies in young, vibrant, lifestyle-orientated consumers committed to trends and styles.

"The way products like tequila, whisky, beer and coolers are advertised, plays right into the hands of these consumers. Most wine advertisements are still stuck in yesteryear, which is astonishing in countries like South Africa who are trying to cultivate more wine enthusiasts, as well as in certain regions of Europe that have been losing wine drinkers to other beverages," says Kieser.

Kieser ascribes the lacklustre state of wine advertising to a combination of client apathy and lack of vision on behalf of agencies.

"It is important to emphasise that this trend is generally found throughout the wine world. European, American and Australian wine advertising is just as dull as that of South Africa," he says. "But it would generally appear that agencies are not being challenged to make wine be seen in a new and fresh light. Being such a romantic, multi-dimensional product that evokes acres of media space by inspired wine writers, surely wine advertisements can start portraying more than a styled bottle and a bunch of grapes?"

Kieser says agencies blaming staid advertising on the limited vision of wine clients have no excuse. "Agencies rate themselves as being up to creative challenges. It is therefore their task to enthuse this creativity to their clients, just as they do to other products.

"Or can it be that a product such as wine, that has not changed in thousands of years, just presents too great a creative challenge? As a young, dynamic wine country, perhaps South Africa can lead the way in this regard," he concludes.