Sonoma County Winegrape Commission

1. Sonoma County Winegrape Commission Great wines need great grapes… Grower Presentation June 17, 2009

2. BackgroundWhere Have We Come From So Far? SCWC formally established and funded in 2006. • The logical evolution of the Sonoma County Grape Grower’s Association. • The infrastructure is in place to develop and execute needed actions. A solid organization, staff and committee structure has been developed. • The wine industry. • The media. • The community and other public • sectors. • Government legislators and regulatory agencies. The commission has provided a unified, consistent, credible and positive voice for Sonoma County winegrape growers. SCWC has established strong relationships and partnered with key stakeholders in funding and executing mutually beneficial promotional efforts. • Sonoma County AVA’s • Sonoma County Vintners • Sonoma County Tourism Bureau

3. BackgroundWhere Have We Come From So Far? • SCWC has hit the ground running and met several important startup milestones by developing and delivering significant value to Sonoma County winegrape growers in the areas of: Grower Outreach Grape Marketing Promotion & PR • IPM • OPG • Small Grower Meetings • Sustainable Practices Meetings • Employee Development Classes in Spanish • Extensive Brand and Consumer Research • Dollars and $ense • The Grape Marketplace • Smart Marketer Workshops • Media Kits • Grape Camp • Regional Promotional Tours • Ongoing Press Releases and Media • Events • Cooperative Marketing Programs

4. BackgroundWhy Develop A Strategy Now? • Delivering a fast start was important for: • Delivering grower benefits immediately. • Establishing credibility. • Creating positive momentum. • These initial successes have also provided critical perspective and learning about where to go and how to get there. • The time is right for a formal strategy that the Commissioners and Staff can use to: Evaluate existing programs. Make sure they support the mission and objectives. Manage and control all new programs and actions. Provide a decision making framework. Allocate resources effectively. Deliver the best bang for the buck. Set and manage priorities. Focus and refine the work of staff and committees. Insure accountability and performance. Deliver on grower expectations.

5. MissionThe Destination The mission of the SCWC is to increase the value of Sonoma County winegrapes and to nurture and protect this agricultural resource for future generations.

6. Key ObjectivesMajor Milestones Along the Way To increase the equity (worth, meaning, positive recognition) of the Sonoma County Brand. To increase the demand for Sonoma County winegrapes. To assure the economic sustainability of Sonoma County winegrape growing for the future – short and long term. To better educate the public that grape growers are good stewards of the land and of vital economic importance to Sonoma County. To increase the real and perceived value of Sonoma County winegrapes. To eliminate internal industry (growers, winegrape buyers, etc.) barriers to success.

7. Strategic AssumptionsThe Landscape Grape supply will exceed demand in the short term – particularly in the mid to upper tier price points. The wine industry will continue to be cyclic, and these cycles are largely unpredictable. Competing regions are aggressively organizing, developing their own brands and getting their messages out. Government regulation, public scrutiny, political activism and external complexities will continue to increase.

8. Strategic AssumptionsThe Landscape Quality (real and perceived) will continue to influence price points for wines and winegrapes. “Sonoma” and “Sonoma County” are very highly recognized by wine consumers…second only to Napa. The interests of grape growers and vintners can and should be mutually supportive. Wineries will likely continue to consolidate with fewer, larger players dominating the market.

9. Strategic PlatformsEight Keys to Success Continue to create a clear, understandable and compelling brand message. Identify key opinion makers, cultivate 1-on-1 relationships and consistently deliver the message. Continue to build initiatives with the Sonoma County Vintners, AVA’s and key wineries focused on leveraging Sonoma County brand recognition. Align SCWC and grower goals with grape buyers and winery marketing teams. Continue to develop and deploy information, resources and support to growers so they can continually improve all aspects of their businesses. Continue to provide a unified, consistent and positive voice and “face” for winegrape growers to the public and key legislative and regulatory policy makers. Develop relationships and outreach opportunities in key educational venues to increase contribution to the community. Drive perceived quality by building the Sonoma County brand message on the County’s top performing varietals.

10. Goals & StrategiesHow to Win To increase the equity (worth, meaning, positive recognition) of the Sonoma County Brand.  Key Goals  Increase the overall recognition of Sonoma County – particularly with respect to high quality wines. Increase the usage of Sonoma County branding on wine labels.  Strategic Platforms  Continue to create a clear, understandable and compelling brand message. Identify key opinion makers, cultivate 1-on-1 relationships and consistently deliver the message. Continue to build initiatives with the SC Vintners, AVA’s and key wineries focused on leveraging SC brand recognition.

11. Goals & StrategiesHow to Win To increase the demand for Sonoma County winegrapes.  Key Goals  Continually and effectively communicate the quality message about Sonoma County winegrapes to key audiences. Leverage the diversity message about Sonoma County to maximum advantage.  Strategic Platforms  Identify key opinion makers, cultivate 1-on-1 relationships and consistently deliver the message. Continue to develop and deploy information, resources and support to growers so they can continually improve all aspects of their businesses. Align SCWC and grower goals with grape buyers and winery marketing teams.

12. Goals & StrategiesHow to Win To assure the economic sustainability of Sonoma County winegrape growing for the future – short and long term.  Key Goals  Increase demand for Sonoma County winegrapes (Objective #2). Increase quality of Sonoma County winegrapes (Objective #5).  Strategic Platforms  Align SCWC and grower goals with grape buyers and winery marketing teams. Continue to develop and deploy information, resources and support to growers so they can continually improve all aspects of their businesses. Continue to provide a unified, consistent and positive voice and “face” for winegrape growers to the public and key legislative & regulatory policy makers.

13. Goals & StrategiesHow to Win To better educate the public that grape growers are good stewards of the land and of vital economic importance to Sonoma County.  Key Goals  Increase positive industry interface and exposure with the media (local focus). Increase presence at community events such as Harvest Fair.  Strategic Platforms  Continue to provide a unified, consistent and positive voice and “face” for winegrape growers to the public and key legislative & regulatory policy makers. Develop relationships and outreach opportunities in key educational venues to increase contribution to the community. Continue to build initiatives with the SC Vintners, AVA’s and key wineries focused on leveraging SC brand recognition.

14. Goals & StrategiesHow to Win To increase the real and perceived value of Sonoma County winegrapes.  Key Goals  Educate growers about growing the optimal grapes in their respective locations. Involve AVA’s in crafting a compelling message about the key strengths of their respective appellations.  Strategic Platforms  Continue to develop and deploy information, resources and support to growers so they can continually improve all aspects of their businesses. Drive perceived quality by building the SC brand message on the County’s top performing varietals. Continue to build initiatives with the SC Vintners, AVA’s and key wineries focused on leveraging SC brand recognition.

15. Goals & StrategiesHow to Win To eliminate internal (growers, winegrape buyers, etc.) barriers to success.  Key Goals  Present and promote a unified message (growers, vintners, AVA’s tourism, etc.) of Sonoma County as the umbrella brand. Showcase integration of diversity (varietals, climates, etc.) and quality.  Strategic Platforms  Continue to build initiatives with the SC Vintners, AVA’s and key wineries focused on leveraging SC brand recognition. Drive perceived quality by building the SC brand message on the County’s top performing varietals. Continue to develop and deploy information, resources and support to growers so they can continually improve all aspects of their businesses.

16. Key Areas for ActionDriving Results Strategic Platform Continue to create a clear, understandable and compelling brand message. • Major Action Points • Define and document the target audience(s) in priority order. • SCWC focus only? • Partnership with SCV and/or SCTB? • Develop branding elements based on what will resonate with target audience(s). • Existing research ok? • New research needed? • Craft and test (at least qualitatively) message statement options. • Finalize brand message and positioning statement. • Communicate to: • Board • Staff • Growers • PR Firm • How can one brand message focus effectively on all of Sonoma County? Is it geared to: • The destination? • Wines? • Food and wines? • Grapes and wines? • The lifestyle? • All of the above?

17. Action Document Strategic Platform: Continue to create a clear, understandable and compelling brand message.Executive Committee Sponsor: Mike Rowan Action Area: Develop and communicate the brand.

18. Next StepsMaking it Happen Communicate the strategy broadly to grower members. Evaluate current programs and initiatives against the eight strategic platforms, and adjust as needed. Complete action development for more complex issues based on the eight strategic platforms. Develop an integrated overall resource plan and timeline. Implement, monitor and adjust actions based on results, outside forces and new information. Communicate effectively and continually with grower members.