Enter the consumer

Thierry’s Wine Services is bringing some fresh perspective to this year’s LIWF by inviting a team of consumers to act as roving reporters for a new social media campaign.

Each day, two carefully selected consumers will be guided around the fair, recording their experiences via twitter, the Thierry’s blog and LIWF’s new social media hub, the Access Zone.

The reporters will be given a specific theme to explore, with subjects varying from organic wine to Old World versus New World, wine packaging and food pairings.

"We’re so introspective in the trade, we don’t think about what consumers really want, but here they can come in and even challenge the trade on the way they do things," explained Matthew Dickinson, commercial director for Thierry’s.

Continuing his explanation of the thinking behind this project, Dickinson said: "We spend a fraction of what we do on price promotions on consumer research, it’s ridiculous really. This isn’t even especially expensive either." 

Among the consumers present will be Andy Battman, winner of the WSET Thierry Cabanne Scholarship Award 2010.

Gabriel Savage, 17.05.2010