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ShareDo you know how much Red Bull sells? Can you even hazard a guess as to the popularity of this unique beverage? I can't, honestly.
Wait, do you know what Red Bull is? I am assuming that at some point in your misadventurous lives you have managed to feel the buzz of a can or two of this vile-tasting product.
I always marvel at the guy who stole the idea from the Sois of Bangkok and converted it into a successful international marketing phenomenon. I marvel too, at the guy who financed such a ridiculous sounding project. "We will make this amazing drink, that will look like cough syrup, smell like cough syrup... hell, it will even taste like cough syrup but would be far less beneficial. In fact, we will up the caffeine content so that it jolts the system and if anything, risk you a cardiac."
Someone actually put money on a project that sounded so and today, when he cruises on his many private jets to skip through his many private tropical islands, I find it hard to laugh at him.
But I would have never had the good sense. Ironic to think that many of us are not millionaires yet because we think we have taste, or a sense of aesthetics.
Seeing how we all missed the wagon thefirst time around, we need to keep a vigil for
such things.
Wineside is one of those extremely interesting things. The idea is to showcase wines in little vials, like perfumes. The choice is of 6cl or 10cl and the person can carry this screw-cap vial either individually or in a set of four or six. Pretty nifty. Presentation is key here and the vials do a great job of creating trysumers.
Trysumers are a new segment of consumers who will try new things without the apprehensions associated with classical consumerism. They are more adventurous and also, more forgiving, should an experience turn out to be not all it was stated to be. They travel, explore and attempt without expecting anything fixed in return.
Needless, they are a more educated lot and need a higher level of stimulus; you can neither charm nor hold their attention with thoughtless gimmicks.
They are different from Transumers who believe in owning nothing but using everything. They borrow, or to use better jargon, they believe in fractional ownership. From luxury handbags (as made popular by the Milan/London Stations of Hong Kong) to cars to jets and even houses and holiday resorts, they may come across as a less materialistic bunch having little attachment. In fact, they are the smartest cookies in the jar. They evict boredom and routine by incorporating this roving way of life.
Basically, as the site trendwatching.com points out, the idea behind most marketing endeavours today is tryvertising -- to create sampling andinitial trial. It is the best way to reach out to aconsumer and to inform him of the product as also to educate him.
Wineside achieves that very well. They not only redefine how wine is seen, but also how it should be gifted and tasted. I for one will shun nothing from now on. I will try everything, attempt anything and even allow most oddities; you never know what could become the next Red Bull of the wine marketing industry. And this time, I want my plane and island too!
The writer is a sommelier
