Wine Marketing in Uncertain Times: Trust, Experience, and Gen Z Luxury

Audiobooks, hot wings, and, yes, labubu. This week on the Radar.

No, I haven’t lost the plot—these are three of the most compelling, doable marketing moves wine brands should be learning from right now. In this week’s Wine Marketer’s Radar, I break down: * Why Downy’s steamy Spotify campaign works harder than most wine ads * How Bulleit Whiskey is using food culture to stay relevant * And what 818 Tequila’s mini bottle strategy can teach us about Gen Z and “little treat” buying behavior None of these require huge budgets. But all of them reframe how and where brands show up—something wine marketing desperately needs to rethink. #WineMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/winemarketing] #BrandStrategy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/brandstrategy] #DTCWine [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/dtcwine] #WineBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/winebusiness] #CulturalMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/culturalmarketing] #BookTok [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/booktok] #InfluencerMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/influencermarketing] #BrandContent [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/brandcontent] #ConsumerTrends [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/consumertrends]

Gen Z clichés. Coke cans with QR codes. Sydney Sweeney’s “great jeans.”

At first glance, they have nothing in common. But together, they reveal what every wine brand needs to know about understanding consumers, treating marketing as a growth engine, and why not all attention is good attention. In this week’s episode: * 1️⃣ Why generational theory can help—or hurt—marketers trying to understand their audience * 2️⃣ How Coca‑Cola is proving marketing drives growth—even as sales volumes dip * 3️⃣ And what not to copy from American Eagle’s viral Sydney Sweeney campaign #MarketingStrategy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marketingstrategy] #WineBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/winebusiness] #BrandStrategy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/brandstrategy] #DigitalMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/digitalmarketing] #MarketingTips [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marketingtips] #WineryMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/winerymarketing] #MarketingForSmallBusiness [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marketingforsmallbusiness] #MarketingTrends [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marketingtrends] #WineTok [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/winetok] #DirectToConsumer [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/directtoconsumer] #MarketingInsights [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/marketinginsights] #ContentMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/contentmarketing] #SmallBusinessMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/smallbusinessmarketing] #WineIndustry [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/wineindustry]

Wine Marketing in Uncertain Times: Trust, Experience, and Gen Z Luxury

New episode of The Wine Marketer’s Radar just dropped and this one’s built for anyone trying to grow a wine brand in a time of economic anxiety, evolving expectations, and higher-than-ever competition for attention. In this episode: * How to market through uncertainty without losing trust Gartner says tariff anxiety is already shifting consumer behavior. We dig into what wine brands can learn from recession-era playbooks, and how to show up with empathy, value, and clarity. * Sephora is literally delivering customers to stores and wine should take notes Their “Delivered to Beauty” campaign offers $20 ride credits to get shoppers into brick-and-mortar. The takeaway? If you want foot traffic, you might have to drive it. (Yes, even wineries.) * ✨ What Gen Z wants from luxury and what wine can learn from it "Interestingness" is a thing, and we’re seeing how storytelling, curiosity, and emotional intelligence are replacing polish and price alone. #WineMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/winemarketing] #DTCWine [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/dtcwine] #LuxuryBranding [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/luxurybranding] #CustomerExperience [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/customerexperience] #GenZMarketing [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/genzmarketing] #TastingRoomStrategy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/tastingroomstrategy] #TheWineMarketersRadar [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/thewinemarketersradar] #PollyHammond [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/pollyhammond] #BrandStrategy [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/brandstrategy]

Third Places, Nostalgia Marketing, and Why Strategy Still Beats Tactics

This week, we’re tackling three big questions: What happens to wine marketing when economic uncertainty hits? New insights from Gartner suggest that shoppers are already behaving like we’re in a recession. We break down how wine brands can respond with empathy, transparency, and clear value — before trust is lost. What if wineries stopped waiting for foot traffic… and drove it? Sephora’s “Delivered to Beauty” campaign literally sends a car to bring people in-store. Why? Because brick-and-mortar still matters, but it has to earn the trip. The wine world already has tasting rooms. Now we need to rethink how we get people to them. ✨ What Gen Z wants from luxury — and how wine can rise to meet it From JW Marriott’s story-first content to the broader shift toward “interestingness” as the new exclusivity, luxury is being redefined. The lesson? Stop defaulting to gold foil and start getting curious. The Wine Marketer’s Radar is a weekly series from 5forests that connects big-picture marketing trends to wine brand strategy. #WineMarketing #LuxuryWine #DTCStrategy #BrandTrust #TastingRooms #GenZ #WineBusiness #TheWineMarketersRadar #5forests #PollyHammond

What SXSW London taught us about brand strategy, Gen Z, and the future of wine marketing.

After a two-week break for SXSW London (and a secret London-based project!), Polly Hammond returns with a packed episode that looks at what’s happening outside the wine world — and what it means for wine brands trying to grow in a changing cultural and digital landscape. In this episode: What global CMOs are saying about marketing 2030 From Diageo and Unilever: the fundamentals still matter, moderation is a megatrend, influencer marketing demands trust, and AI isn’t just a content machine — it’s a strategic accelerator. Smirnoff Ice turns 25 — and goes after Gen Z The RTD titan is launching its first global campaign with a bold tone, new formats, and occasion-first thinking. We break down what wine brands can learn about packaging innovation, irreverent branding, and how to grow without losing your identity. VCCP’s loyalty report flips the script on retention New UK data shows that the best loyalty programs aren’t just about perks — they’re about belonging, identity, and emotional connection. We explore how wineries can evolve from churn management to true brand growth. AI SEO is here — are you part of the answers? The rise of AI-powered search means traditional SEO rules no longer apply. We unpack the rise of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and why showing up in ChatGPT and Perplexity matters just as much as Google rankings. Need help with digital or AI SEO for your wine brand? Visit https://5forests.com [https://5forests.com] to learn how we help wineries show up, stand out, and scale. #WineMarketing #DigitalStrategy #AEO #WineDTC #GenZMarketing #SmirnoffIce #LoyaltyMarketing #AISEO #TheWineMarketersRadar #5forests #PollyHammond