When developing a marketing strategy for a wine, the objective is to maximize profit while providing the consumer with the highest value. In some cases, market segmentation will provide the optimal strategy. Wineries have recently segmented their markets by gender with brands such as Cupcake, Middle Sister Wines, Mommy’s Time Out, and others are targeted to females, which represent 31.5% of the 72.6MM wine consumers in the U.S.

Using a stratified random sample of wine consumers, the researchers administered 193 surveys with the objective of examining whether or not there are differences between males and females in their evaluations of logo attractiveness. This research used the positioning research methodology to determine the features of a logo that are important to the consumer when making a purchase decision. The results of their research have marketing implication concerning market segmentation, logo design and gender differences.

Presenter: Dr. Wolf

Dr. Wolf earned her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University in Economics. Dr. Wolf is the Interim Department Head of the Wine and Viticulture Department at California Polytechnic State University. Dr. Wolf’s research interests examine the factors that motivate consumers to buy a particular brand of wine or food.

She has coauthored two books on the topic of simulated test marketing and marketing new products successfully.  In addition, she has authored twelve chapters in four books examining the factors that impact the demand for food products.  Her numerous published research projects examine food and wine consumers in the United States, Australia, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Colombia, Finland and Japan.

Her most recent contributions to the literature concern consumer attitudes toward wine labels, wine region, fair trade, wine closures, the use of social media in wine marketing and the use of technology in wine purchasing.

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