The "M Word" that almost destroyed an entire wine industry
Published: Wed, 03/13/19
A few years ago, when I lived in The Burgle (Roseburg, OR) I was hanging out at a local wine tasting room there, when I got to talking to the guy doing the pours about the movie "Sideways". It's a pretty nifty movie (even if you hate wine) about a couple middle aged guy who take a week long trip through California's wine country.
Anyway, they are about to meet some chicks at a restaurant.
But, before they go in, one of the guys says:
“…if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f___ing Merlot!"
And guess what?
This one line in an indie movie with a $12 million budget...
Killed Merlot wine sales!
And I mean, just killed them. It gave Merlot a terrible stigma. Made people think it sucks. And, sales dropped everywhere.
Yes, even in other states.
Example:
The guy at the winery I was hanging at said even in Oregon at their winery, Merlot sales plummeted. But, when they changed the name to something else (didn't call it Merlot), sales went back up.
The point?
There are several.
Like, the psychology of wine snobs.
Testing changing your product's name if sales die off.
But, most importantly...
The power of stories.
Humans are "hard wired" to be persuaded by stories.
And they can work either for or against you.
So tread carefully...
To learn my — often story-based — email methodology, go here:
http://www.EmailPlayers.com
Ben Settle