Definition: Medal (awarded to a wine)

What got you interested in medals and their added value?

For someone interested in marketing, differentiation is a fundamental concern (except in the case of a follower strategy). All elements of differentiation are therefore an expression of added value, but in a world where access to technology is becoming increasingly easy, differentiation is more about what we might call "soft" factors rather than "hard" ones. In the past, one could say, "Try my wine, it's good," implying that it was better than others, but today this is less and less possible (at least for the core market) because the possibility of substituting one product for another is practically total.

Furthermore, consumers are becoming increasingly informed and knowledgeable, so they seek out information, with medals serving as a two-level source of information: visual and indicative of 'quality' (for the core market).

Should a medal be highlighted in order for it to be effective? If so, how?

Not promoting a medal would be like a 100-metre runner not wearing spikes to run, relying instead on his natural talent. How a medal is promoted depends on the winegrower's marketing policy. Has he decided to make this wine a flagship product for the rest of the range? Has he decided to make it the basis of his turnover? Has he simply decided to use this medal to communicate his expertise? In short, there is no simple rule, otherwise we would have simplistic and therefore ineffective marketing policies.

Do we automatically increase the price of a wine after it has won an award?

The answer is much the same as for the previous question. What is the strategic marketing choice and what policies has the winegrower decided to adopt? A simple, common-sense answer would be yes, but I have noticed that common sense sometimes runs counter to marketing choices, i.e. it violates marketing concepts and techniques, and therefore leads to disastrous results that are contrary to the desired objective.

Which medals are currently the most recognised by the industry?

For the industry, it is difficult to say, as it is a subject of debate. For the core consumer market, there are no major differences between medals; only the colour (gold, silver, bronze) is taken into account. It is an indicator of quality. Consumers are mostly unaware of how medals are awarded. In the latest ONIVINS survey, 40% of French people did not know what AOC meant. However, with the proliferation of distinctive signs, it will be necessary to establish a positioning in the consumer's mind that endorses the added value of the medal, otherwise it will become commonplace and lose all its value. Due to a lack of recognition and/or clarity, medals only partially fulfil their role as influencers.