Consultancy and marketing for the wine trade

Swirl & Market is a boutique consultancy and marketing agency for the wine trade; delivering integrated distribution strategies, wine communications, and brand development to some of our world’s most exciting and surprising wines. 

Through decades of experience and drive, we have developed an integrated and creative solution for introducing underestimated and emerging wines to wine markets. Conventional wine communication often fails new, exotic, or resurgent terroirs because it does not address the greater barriers these wines face in securing distribution and challenging prejudices.

Our agile, problem-solving approach builds profile, reputation, demand, confidence and availability for these wines in some of the world’s most rewarding, influential and challenging wine markets.  Our work builds sustained recognition and demand, whether you are an individual wine brand, a generic body, or a group of like-minded producers.

We help wine producers to create an integrated ‘go to market’ strategy and develop a compelling offer for their target markets. Our services cover market entry, brand activation, and marketing and communications campaigns that support business development and build brand value.

Our clients include generic bodies, marketing consortia, groups of like-minded producers and a small selection of individual brands. We hate waste, and will only recommend marketing campaigns for clients that we believe are ‘ready’: if we think that your proposition needs refining before you invest in events and campaigns, we will tell you. We offer a free audit of wine style, pricing and marketing to prospective new clients as part of this philosophy.

Service Offering

Market entry and distribution strategy

For business development & growth, our creative campaigns, contacts and credibility will optimise your chance of success in new markets, whether you are looking for distribution, to increase sales through your existing importer, or deepen your direct relationship with your consumers.

Services:

• Advising on export labelling, pricing and certification compliance
• Advising on logistics, shipping, warehousing and import agents 
• Benchmark tasting and recommendations on how to optimise your range and style for key markets
• Branding consultancy and visual identity
• Creation of strategic distribution plans
• Structured introductions to our network of sommeliers, importers, and wholesalers
• Training on the structure and major influencers and importers in key markets
• Provision of brand ambassadors
• Consulting on developing a sustainable market research and innovation strategy
• Competitor analysis and benchmarking

Strategic marketing, digital and social media, content and PR

Consumers who buy premium-priced but unusual wines are motivated by provenance, story, emotion and authenticity. The restaurants and wine merchants that are your first route to market need to see these values in your marketing activity to have the confidence to take you on.

We excel at getting under the skin of a wine: we translate what is unique, personal and compelling about your wines, your terroir and your origin into compelling campaigns, content and events.

We build your profile, and integrate marketing with promotional campaigns, drawing on the trust and credibility we have built up over decades with traditional and new media influencers to achieve profile and sales.

Services:

• Integrated marketing and PR campaigns through the distribution chain
• Full service event creation and management
• Create and host market-optimised websites with engaging content and links to stockists 
• Devise social media marketing strategy, and manage on-going posts and interactive social media accounts
• Devise a targeted content strategy and create authoritative, inspiring, expert content
• Originate and deliver creative and attention-grabbing campaigns
• Design and produce printed and digital marketing assets, such as leaflets and signage
• Write and produce engaging and relevant Press Packs
• Strategic development of a bespoke image library
• Recruit and host press and buyer visits to your winery, and create an itinerary that is optimised for the group and your objectives
• Targeted sampling campaigns to press and trade 

Business, branding, identity and storytelling

We work with you to create and evolve your brand proposition bringing out the elements of your story that will resonate with buyers, gatekeepers, influencers and consumers.

Services:

• Creative origination and graphical brand identity
• Develop brand positioning, and establish the key messaging and DNA of your brand
• Communicate the diversity, quality and commercial relevance of your brand, refuting outdated views, misconceptions and prejudices
• Build appetite and curiosity among wine consumers and wine trade through great content, storytelling and imagery
• ‘Hero Product’ advice, and product selection
• Business plans, budgets and KPIs

Events & Brand Activation

We work with a diverse range of sensational venues and ensure that when you invest in an event, your wines are shown in the best possible context, honouring their quality and aligning with your brand. We pride ourselves on attention to the finest detail and delivering with flair.

Services:

• Full management of press and trade tastings, including promotion, guest list, event management and follow up
• Representing your wines at major trade tastings, both on-stand and in sought-after master classes
• Presenting engaging wine talks and running sampling stalls at food and wine festivals
• Placing your wines in consumer and corporate tastings through our sister brand, Swirl & Savour
• Concept creation and project management delivery and execution of launches, corporate events and prestigious dinners