Chile In A Glass

Wines of Chile (WoC) is an organization that is committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world.  WoC’s 85 member wineries represent 85% of Chile’s bottled wine exports.  The Chilean Wine Industry is a profitable sector and saw a 13.5% increase in export sales this past April, which is a 500 million dollar return. This increase is in export sales follows a 47.3% rise in prices.  After doing some research on WoC, I came across their strategic plan for 2020. The goal of this plan to become the number one producer of sustainable and diverse premium wines from the New World, reaching exports of bottled wine of US$3 billion by the year 2020.  Prior to finding this plan, I had just watched a video that I saw on Mashable.com entitled “Social Media Revolution” that did a great job of detailing the importance and relevance of social media in our society.

This video shows how effective social media is nationally and globally. I immediately wondered if the WoC had included any social networking elements or components to their Strategic Plan 2020.  Of course they did, however they aren’t flushed out into any specific detail.  WoC highlighted in their plan that the “explosion of social networks allows direct low cost, high frequency, and world-wide communication and interaction with consumers.” In order to capitalize on this opportunity WoC’s plans to “actively participate in the social networks in which our target consumers participate and inform themselves, thereby establishing Wines of Chile as a honest and credible voice with respect to the quality of diversity of Chilean Wine.” WoC seems to be pretty active on the popular social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.  They engage followers and fans in creating conversations.  The number of fans, followers, and views they have a relatively low, however if the tactics (that weren’t included in the plan) implemented are successful they should increase.  An article on ILoveChile.cl encourages the wine industry to embrace social networking to promote their products and employ knowledgeable individuals to control the social networking messaging.

According to AndesWines.com, a Chilean based wine and tourism website, “it is very difficult to measure how many of online ‘fans’ actually buy the products because of this interaction; nonetheless, it is a good way to receive feedback and suggestions to learn what consumers want.”  AndesWines.com is correct in some respects, it is hard to track if your social networking fans, followers and viewers are actually consumers, however maybe creating social media specific promotions and “QR codes“, can give WoC’s a better advantage in reaching their 2020 goal.

A “Natural Choice” To Celebrate the 4th: Chilean Wine

As we take time this long weekend to celebrate our nation’s independence, it is appropriate to highlight a great complement to every fireworks celebration: Chilean wine. I realize it doesn’t sound very American, but given “The Next Napa” moniker assigned to the Colchagua Valley, I would say it is worth the fuss.

While you wouldn’t know it based on a last name like Murphy, I was brought up in a VERY Italian family. My grandparents taught me at a very young age the value of good food and good wine and would often invoke the Italian proverb: “A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” For Chileans, who at times are known more for their love of sports than anything else, would say the same about their pairing of fine cuisine and fine wines.

Background

The wine heritage in Chile spans over 460 years. A diverse climate coupled with French influence during the 1800s allowed Chile to develop into a major player in the wine industry.  However, according to the Vinos De Chile website, “two world wars and decades of state protectionism forced the country down a solitary path that isolated it technologically for nearly 50 years.” Therefore, only in the 1980s after some restrictive domestic regulations were relaxed, did Chile get to revive their long history of producing fine wines.

Today, over 20 grape varieties are grown in Chile and it is the fourth largest exporter of wine into the United States behind France, Italy and Australia.

And their social media presence and advertising speak to this high ranking.

Drivers of the “Natural Choice” Brand

While many outside Chile would argue that fútbol, rodeo, trekking and Chile dominate the tourist audience, there has been a strong social media effort to remind people that one of Chile’s strongest assets lies along a small 800 mile stretch of picturesque coast line. And with over 54% of the population on the internet, the niche social media space the wine enthusiasts occupy is valuable. Numerous sites boast several wine tours by car and even bicycle throughout the region and stress that the wineries have rebounded strongly after the earthquake in 2010 that rattled the industry.

One strong social media asset is Vinos De Chile (Wines of Chile), the national association for the wine industry. They are a one stop shop – they blog; they tweet; Facebook; they YouTube; they provide up to the minute news about tours, upcoming events, and the industry as a whole – they do it all, all the while stressing the need to “Discover Chile.”

Another major asset for Chilean wine was the acquisition of Chilean deal site ClanDescuento by Groupon, an expansion into Latin America that is likely to pay strong dividends as the number of internet users continues to grow and Chile continues to impress at the international competitions.

Yet another strong social media platform for Chilean wines is the wine blogosphere. From DrVino.com to Steve Heimoff, Chilean wines get the praise of the bargain wine without the bargain taste. And many are quick to note the serene landscapes that accompany the wines to emphasize the “Natural Choice” for your palette.

Chile, for a country of just over nine million people has done its homework. In a global wine industry dominated by Europe, Australia and the United States, they have taken one of their prized assets, branded humanized it as a quality wine at a bargain price for all palettes, and then advertised it online. In an age of increasingly “aggressive” advertising and marketing practices, especially when there is competition to find the best wine for a celebration, it is refreshing to see that some countries still let their heritage do the talking for them.

LG Gets Social in Chile

It is every company’s mission to dominate a market with their products by way of productive and exciting consumer engagement. In the Web 2.0 era, productive and exciting consumer engagement often means utilizing social media in some capacity, if not entirely. In Chile, no company is engaging with consumers via social media better than LG. LG has been able to better position its brand and market its products by incorporating widespread consumer interests in its social media campaigns.

Paul Meadows, an executive at LG, recently said: “The next wave of our ‘Life’s Good’ brand campaign continues to educate and encourage consumers to get involved in technology. These new initiatives highlight the growing popularity of social networking and our increasing focus in that area… Young people today communicate with their friends and the world around them via social networks.”

With this in mind, LG heightened its level of engagement on social networks across the world, especially in Chile. It is tough to describe the scope of LG’s reach in Chile because they go beyond just having a presence on different social media networks — it is truly about consumer engagement with LG. Here are two recent social media marketing campaigns in which LG capitalized on the public’s interests to promote its products and engage with consumers:

LG and ‘The Social Network’

Last year, LG invited 400 people to a premiere party for the blockbuster hit ‘The Social Network.’ At the premiere, LG also introduced the Plus — its latest touch screen and social networking enabled mobile phone.

The movie premiere not only afforded LG with the opportunity to host a great event, but also allowed them to get invaluable feedback from attendees on LG, its latest products, and its widespread use of social networks, specifically Facebook.

Although LG has a number of country specific Facebook sites, most only have a few thousand fans. However, the official LG Facebook site in Chile is enormously popular with close to half a million fans. Among the top Facebook pages in Chile, LG ranks 21 and is the only product line in the top 25, which is made up of sport teams and entertainers.

LG & Copa America Argentina 2011

Copa America, what is considered the most important sporting event in Latin America in which national soccer clubs compete, is currently being held in Argentina with LG serving as the main sponsor. As a way to promote its brand and get the public engaged with the tournament, LG announced a contest where consumers can enter to win its latest mobile devices and a 3D TV by using Facebook and QR codes to participate. Although this contest is being held across Central and South America, the campaign is being heavily promoted in Chile because of LG’s popularity there.

Social media is increasingly used by businesses of all sizes for effective marketing campaigns, but the success of a campaign on social networks not only lies in good planning and adequate resources, but having creativity as a fundamental element. When you’re a tech brand like LG that has new products to constantly introduce to the market, it can be challenging to be creative, break through clutter and reach consumers without seeming overbearing.

LG has been incredibly successful in engaging a large portion of Chilean consumers by asking for feedback on the company’s product range; as consumers, we tend to value companies more that are willing to hear what we have to say — especially when they take our thoughts and ideas into consideration. Likewise, LG has been successful in getting Chileans involved in company-related activities and events because they’re willing to pay attention to their interests and meet them where they already are or, better yet, where they’re headed. Rule #1 in understanding consumers: pay attention to their behavior.

Chile: An Emerging National Brand Built from the Red, White and Blue

This weekend, the United States celebrates its independence day. Millions of Americans will join together in their patriotic red, white and blue and pay tribute to the country they love so dear.

Represented in the beloved star spangled banner, those three colors have far more meaning than first meets the eye. Widely recognized as the iconic symbol of our nation, the American flag is much more than just that. It is a national brand. Cultivated over many wars, battles and ultimately triumphs, the United States brand has become unmistakably known both domestically and worldwide.

In celebrating yet another birthday, the vibrant United States brand provides an example for others attempting to make a name in the game of national brand building.

Chile, for example, has had a tumultuous history and is seeking ways in which bring positive light to its nation in a new national branding project. Recently transitioning from a historically dictatorial regime, the newly elected President, Sebastián Piñera, has sought the opportunity to revitalize the somewhat unfavorable brand of Chile.

Similarly, while re-branding efforts were sought to be underway, the new Administration was also was tasked with working to alleviate two catastrophic disasters—one almost immediately following the other. First, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit the country and later 33 miners were trapped 2,000 feet underground for nearly two months. Although impossible to predict, both incidents provided an opportunity to leverage for national Chilean support and brand recognition. In fact, it would have been a PR failure to not seize the chance to capitalize on one of the most-watched Web events in recent in history.  However, luckily for the Chilean brand, they did just that. The Twitter hash-tag #Chileanminers climbed the trending charts for week after week, stories covering the events were published daily worldwide and fan pages were prevalent on many all social media channels. Audiences were captivated by the event and many sat by the edge of their seats cheering for the miners safe return home.

Coincidentally, in nearly all media coverage shown, the Chilean flag was clearly present. Taking a cue from professional branding experts, the Chileans were driving their “product” home to audiences across the world.

Chilean flag represented nearly half a mine below ground

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In doing so, the brand of Chile grew   exponentially over the course of short period of time.

However, with this sudden increase in media exposure: what does this all mean for the brand of Chile?

The truth of the matter is that for far too long, Chile has been sitting on the side lines of global conversaions. Not many people (except true brand loyalists) can tell you much about this great nation off the top of their head, except perhaps some details of its previous dictatorship government or the wine—the delicious, delicious wine.

Yet, Chile is so much more than that.

Although they have been riddled with a troublesome past and continue to face obstacles, their brand loyalists continue to remain and more importantly new audiences arise each day. In efforts to keep their success flourishing, active engagement and proactive tactics need be applied. Weather it is reaching a Canadian wine connoisseur who will only drink the best Chilean wine, a California native who always vacations in Rapa Nui or a Chilean street vendor selling flags on Fiesta Patrias (also known as Chile’s Independence day)—the bottom line is the same:  keep the conversation going.

The Chilean brand is certainly emerging as new one-to-watch and the world market eagerly awaiting its next move. While recent events may have sparked the momentum needed to help move the Chilean brand in the right direction, those effort alone will not be enough to keep their brand alive. As most PR professionals will say: once the conversation has stopped, your brand loyalty will be sure to follow.  However if successful branding efforts continue, who knows, one day, the Chilean red, white and blue may be as world renowned as the United States’ infamous stars and stripes.

Sendero de Chile: How a Strong Social Media Presence Can Put Chile on the Right Path

Throughout the past year, the world has given more attention to the country that snakes along the coast of the South American tail. Having experienced much in 2010, including a record-breaking earthquake and the captivating story of 33 miners fighting for survival, Chile has landed in the hearts and minds of people from all over the world and has enjoyed a steady growth in tourism as a result.

 But while traditional tourist spots will continue to be a favorite among many, the rise in ecotourism is making headway for those seeking to uncover the hidden treasures of this beautiful country.

The Sendero de Chile (Chilean Path) project was designed to create a tapestry of paths that tell the tale of Chilean history, landscapes and culture – perhaps the road Frost would’ve taken had he ventured to warmer climates. With claims that it will be the “longest hiking route in the world” once completed, the project was originally slated to celebrate Chile’s 2010 bicentennial anniversary of independence from Spain, but was delayed due to funding and other issues.

While the Sendero project seeks to raise greater environmental awareness through its trails, a stronger social media presence and more active engagement of current digital tools could not only increase interest in the project from both local and global tourists, but also help to raise needed funding. Here are just some of the social platforms the Sendero de Chile project might explore:

While traditional social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, are currently used, there are ways they can better engage with their audience. For example, rather than hosting a friend page, a fan page would include more relevant features to display, including customizable walls, photo sharing capabilities, fundraising options, and open discussions about specific trails, and be a more open conduit to attract new visitors. At the same time, while there are only a reported 60,000 Chilean Twitter users, there might be opportunities to engage many of these (and the handles of global users) through a more targeted approach – much more than the seven tweets currently shared by @senderodechile.

As of September 2008, there were a reported 4,827,387 Chilean Fotolog users (Chile reportedly has the most accounts) uploading and sharing photos. By incorporating photo sharing capabilities onto the Sendero website, hikers can not only enjoy the experience of the trails for themselves, but share those memories with others. In this way, the story of the trails are told not only through the lens of project workers and volunteers, but through the unbiased photographers as well.

With the growth of digital crowdsourcing, websites such as Crowdrise offer a free and easy way for foundations and non-profits to raise money. With only a few clicks of la ratón de la computadora, Sendero can create a profile and share their own mini-website with millions of visitors who come specifically looking to donate to worthy causes and projects.

The Sendero de Chile project is truly a collective effort of the Chilean government, environmentalists and volunteers who want to celebrate the country’s heritage and natural beauty. By positioning the Sendero site as the social gathering for outdoor enthusiasts – both local and foreign – the project is sure to capture attention and financial support and thrive as one of Chile’s most natural tourist spots.