Ian Cunningham, managing director of 88 Signals, which imports Transylvanian wine brand Bats Blood, explains why the business should win the marketing and PR category of the Guardian Small Business Showcase competition.
When we launched Bats Blood the professional wine trade were very sniffy at best and many refused to stock the brand unless we could sell it very cheaply.
We decided to ignore the trade and instead focus purely on the consumer. We took our time and ensured that the consumer experience exceeded their expectations - not just with the striking packaging but with the quality of the wine too.
Over the last couple of years we have built up a strong social media and public following. In fact, Bats Blood has over 50,000 highly engaged followers on Twitter and Facebook - a huge following for a brand that isn’t even in the shops yet!
Now that we have this following through our consumer-facing events such as the BBC Good Food Shows and our experiential events such as The Bats Blood Ball, we are able to start selling into the trade with less resistance.
We produced two videos aimed squarely at the trade, both in different styles. One is entitled: “Is this the most famous red wine that you have never heard of?” It shows a zippy montage of our consumer-facing promotions and events.
The other video is more subtle and is done in a short documentary style, featuring interviews with leading food and wine retailers. In their own words they say how Bats Blood has made a positive impact on their businesses. People do tend to believe their peers more than what the companies say – and these videos have helped to break down the trade resistance we used to encounter.
All entries which meet the competition criteria are published and our judging panel select a shortlist of the top three for each category. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in summer 2016.
