Wine is a brutal category – Taylors was up against 2,400+ other Australian wineries, in a market growing at just 1.8% a year, with retailer-owned labels eating up 28% share. To fund ongoing vineyard investment, Taylors had to do the one thing consumers hate most: raise prices. Plus they were heading into the make-or-break Christmas trading period on the back of a challenging sales environment.
The Strategy
The vast majority of people walking into a bottle shop don’t know what they’re going to walk out with – wine is won on shelf, in the last three feet. Mr Wolf’s own research uncovered the insight that would drive everything: 82% of Australians serve red wine at or above room temperature, unaware that this “room temperature” convention originated in the far cooler drawing rooms of medieval France – and that every varietal has its own recommended serving temperature most drinkers have never heard of. Rather than compete on another medal or another claim of unique terroir, Taylors could own something no other winery was talking about: how the wine actually tastes when you drink it correctly.
The Creative
Mr Wolf developed Optimum Drinking Temperature sensors — thermo-chromatic labels on the back of every bottle of Taylors Estate and Promised Land wines, bespoke to each varietal, changing colour to show drinkers exactly when their wine had reached its ideal serving temperature. The idea was made visible on shelf through “Try me at xx°C” front label stickers, and built into a full retail and media platform under the line “Live Better By Degrees” — red fridge bottle stackers, A-frames, checkout displays, an explainer video, a “how wine wise are you?” social quiz, weather-sponsorship digital banners comparing real-time local temperature to a wine’s ideal serving point, wine media, and talkback radio. On a lean media budget, the entire campaign was built to intercept buyers exactly where the decision actually gets made – the shelf.
The Results
- Delivered a 44.9% rebound in sales value
- 18.4% ROI on incremental gross profit inside just two months
- Taylors Estate Merlot achieved its highest-ever value share in the segment; Estate Shiraz grew 5% share in the same period
- Over 5 million PR impressions and $2M+ in earned media coverage in two months
- An Effie Award in the Beverages category
The Reaction
“This idea gives us a true point of difference while showcasing our heritage of innovation.” Cameron Crowley, Chief Marketing Officer, Taylors Wines
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