Hit The Bottle is a Welcome Addition to Your Continuing Wine Education

One of the reasons I’ve kept this blog going for so long is it provides me with a means for continuing education. By committing to regularly examining my ideas and opinions on issues of wine marketing, wine politics, culture and wine, and technology and wine, I’m able to continue to educate myself so that I better serve my clients.

The wine media too, as well as the occasional beverage and regulatory conference, is also a great source of continuing education. But I was particularly excited to learn recently that my continuing education will be aided by a couple of the best wine industry marketers who have begun a new podcast: Michael Wangbickler and Emma Criswell of Balzac Communications have begun the Hit The Bottle podcast.

Here’s what Michael and Emma have to say about Hit The Podcast:

“Our audience is marketing managers and executives at wineries, wine companies, wine associations, distilleries, spirits companies, spirits associations, breweries, beer companies, and beer associations. These are individuals interested in learning more about beverage marketing, particularly on marketing strategy, marketing tech, and learning from leaders in the industry Listeners will gain knowledge on beverage marketing from us and other leaders in the business.”

They sell themselves short in this description of their audience as there are many other constituencies who, based on the first two podcasts that have dropped, will also have much to learn. Certainly PR folks like myself, but really anyone marketing in the wine space from retailers to wholesalers to importers to third party marketers will see their marketing IQ increase by tuning in.

In Hit The Bottle’s first podcast, “Oh Data, My Data”, we get a deep dive into how customer intelligence and big (and small) data can help shape our understanding of the marketplace and how wine marketers of all stripes can become more granular and more successful in their sales and branding.

In Hit The Bottle Podcast #2, “Ecommerce is Commerce”, Michael and Emma give us an overview of the current state of winery e-commerce.

I have to admit that in some ways I hate this podcast because it reminds me of just how much stuff I don’t know. I take solace in the idea that acknowledging this is the first step to wisdom. I could go on…

You should also know the production quality of Hit the Bottle is very good, as it must be since podcasting has become so competitive and standards are now very high. The content is very good. The conversations with guests move at a brisk pace, with each show being about an hour long.

Hit The Bottle is a welcome addition to my education.


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