By Andrew Starke
Victorians will be encouraged to support their home-grown industry by buying Victorian wine and food in a campaign that will run from July 26 to August 9.
A joint initiative led by the Victorian Wine Industry Association (VWIA) and Melbourne Food and Wine (MFW), ‘Put Victoria on Your Table’ is designed to increase awareness, loyalty and ultimately consumption of Victorian food and wine.
A VWIA retail program will be rolled out over the two-week campaign and will include in-store tastings, point-of-sale promotions, direct mail and advertising to support the initiative.
Wine retailers across Melbourne and regional Victoria are supporting the state-wide program, including the Coles Group (Liquorland, First Choice and Vintage Cellars), Dan Murphy’s, IGA Stores and independent retailers such as Rathdowne Cellars, Randalls, Armadale Cellars, Cloudwine Cellars and The Prince Wine Store.
The nationwide wine glut has forced some in the industry to slash prices and increasingly this price collapse is forcing marketers to adopt innovative marketing campaigns to attract consumers.
VWIA CEO Joanne Butterworth-Gray urged the Victorian wine industry to back the campaign and ensure its effectiveness.
“Our message to the industry is this: getting involved is simple and it doesn’t cost you a cent,” she said. “If you have wines stocked at the participating retailers, see how you can support them in-store.”
“If you don’t, you can still benefit by promoting the campaign at your cellar door, on your website, in your e-news and via your own PR activities.”