Lights, camera, Action!
Strategic partnerships can be a great means of magnifying and extending a brand’s efforts to build awareness, reach new consumers, and, where relevant, drive visitation.
Charles Krug welcomes film fans.
One of the best partnerships I ever had the privilege to manage and nurture was Charles Krug’s sponsorship of the Napa Valley Film Festival. Blessed with a spectacular event space Charles Krug became the only winery in the valley to serve as a full-time screening venue. The daily rotation of films could accommodate as many as 250 guests per showing. A lounge-like wine bar was set up just below the theatre space allowing us to sell wine and wood-fired pizzas to festival patrons.
The festival also brought celebrities and VIP ticket holders to the Estate for ancillary dinners and events, giving us further opportunities to showcase the wines and the property. We even had Entertainment Tonight shoot on property one year, giving co-owner Peter Mondavi Jr. a few minutes of free national airtime in the process.
Festival patrons rub elbows with celebrity guests at elegant wine dinner.
leveraging nationally
While largely a local Direct to Consumer play, we also sought to make the partnership relevant for our national wholesale channel by creating a compelling Text to Win consumer contest. The Grand Prize was a chance to attend the festival, visit the Estate, and meet the Mondavi family owners. In promoting the contest we were even permitted to use images of past celebrity attendees, lending a bonus “celebrity cachet” to the brand. The contest garnered over 36,000 entries with 49% of them opting-in to the winery’s mailing list along the way.
Leveraging the partnership in the wholesale channel.
Extending the Season
I was always on the lookout for ways to extend this great partnership beyond the five days in November when the festival was held. This led to the creation of Sunset Cinema, a summer alfresco film series held on the estate’s great lawn. Each month, a past festival favorite would air on a giant inflatable screen. Our festival partners utilized their contacts to secure people connected to each film—Directors, Actors, Writers, etc.—to participate in an interactive Q&A with the audience. The festival became a popular community draw, giving us additional opportunities to sell wine and food to visiting patrons, all while encouraging them to join us for future events and wine tastings.
Sunset Cinema further leveraged the partnership.
And Cut…
Partnerships can be a powerful vehicle for introducing your brand to new, yet complimentary, audiences. Once you find a partnership that works, really lean into it and look for ways to extend and build upon the great foundation you’ve already established.