From under the shadows: developing awareness in a conventional market with a product less recognized

Nelson Barber, Janis DonovanWhittemore School of Business, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USAAbstract: The wine industry has considered product quality as the benchmark driving ­competitiveness, with wine quality the target standard. This focus on quality exposes producers to intense price competition with consumers alternating between wines. Some research has been done on country of origin suggesting the value consumers place on specific origins goes deeper than quality and price, inferring the presence of other dimensions such as emotional, economic, and social associations. However, little has been done to determine the value consumers place on the sub-wine regions of these larger countries. This study examines dimensions of wine region brand equity, by analyzing benefits sought by consumers. Data was collected through a survey conducted in the United States which identified drivers of preferences for wine regions and relationships that may exist between those drivers and wine region preferences. The findings suggest brand equity of small wine regions results from consumer motivational factors and these factors are determinants of consumer preferences. Linking these factors to consumer, demographic and location allows for direct marketing strategies.Keywords: wine region brand equity, consumer, gender, millennial