A couple of months ago, I was honoured to be invited by Wine Cellar to be on the panel for their #SkillsChallenge Workshop series on marketing.  On the sideline, there was a vivid discussion on influencers and how to best make use of them in the Wine Industry. This is a trending topic worldwide, and a lot of brands are at a loss or have been scarred from previous experiences with so-called ‘influencers.’ In a time where we find ourselves amidst a global pandemic; marketing and correct expenditure of said budget is of uttermost importance.

Influence marketing is not a new concept; the explosion of social media has just amplified it.  Fundamentally it is the idea of a personal recommendation by someone you trust.  Wine Critics and journalists like Robert Parker have been doing it for years.

I cringe at the word ‘influencer’ <previously referred to as bloggers>  I allude to a group of entitled millennials who think they are rather important and live off free lunches and press drops.

Like all herd communities, there are the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s first look at the definition of an influencer;