Most popular global wine brands

Gallo is the most popular global brand with Hardy's of Australia being the runner up, with USA owning the maximum Top 100 wine brands, though no brand has made it to the top 10 slots in the spirit and wine category, declares an annual independent survey.

Compiled by Intangible Business, the report titled 'The Power 100- The World's Most Powerful Spirits and Wine Brands 2008' has evaluated over 10,000 brands across the world.

The brand numbering is based on the assessment of both the financial contribution of each brand alongside their strength in the eyes of the consumer.

Smirnoff has been adjudged as the top brand overall followed by Johnny Walker.

Intangible Business is the world's leading independent brand valuation consultancy, specialising in the valuation and development of brands. It has valued and advised some of the world's biggest brands from a management, legal and financial point of view.

The study uses a robust methodology which takes into account the consumer's perception of brand strength and its financial performance. A panel of leading international drinks experts score each brand on a variety of measures and these scores are combined with hard volume data to create a league table of the most powerful international drinks brands in the world.

Here are the wine brands that find a spot in the Top 100 spirits and wine brands:

1. Gallo Gallo USA (18)

2. Hardy's Constellation Australia (19)

3. Concha Y Toro Concha Y Toro Chile (21)

4. Robert Mondavi Constellation USA (36)

5. Yellow Tail Casella Wines Australia (38)

6. Beringer Fosters USA (44)

7. Jacobs Creek Pernod Ricard Australia (47)

8. Sutter Home Trinchero Family Est. USA (52)

9. Lindemans Foster Australia (60)

10. Blossom Hills Diageo USA (63)

11. Wolf Blass Fosters Australia (75)

12. Kendall-Jackson Kendall-Jackson USA (82)

13. Banrock Station Hardy Wine Co. USA (83)

14. Penfolds Fosters Australia (84)

15. Inglenook Robert Mondavi USA (86)

16. Torres Torres Spain (88)

17. Kumala Vincor Int. South Africa (98)

Chile, Spain and South Africa seem to be the party spoilers for the USA and Australia who have virtual brand monotony.

France may not enjoy the brand popularity in the still wine section but has a near monopoly in the sparkling wine sector with only Freixenet (49) and Martini (100) give some competition to Champagne brands.

Moet Chandon is the obvious king (14). Other brands enjoying a spot in the Top 100 Spirits and Wine Brands are Veuve Clicquot (26) also owned by LVMH. Other brands at the fag end of the ceremonial parade are Laurent Perrier (73), Piper Heidsieck (74), Mumm (76), Dom Perignon (79), Taittinger (91) and Nicolas Feuillatte (99).

How will the economic slowdown affect the global drinks market?

The global economic slowdown will affect all aspects of business. The global drink market will also be affected as consumers' priorities change.

In a report form Intangible Business they indicate that the current economic slowdown will inevitably impact the global drinks market but the extent of its impact remains unclear. Recent figures reveal that American consumers are already reducing their number of shopping trips as they begin to feel the pinch of an economic downturn.

This trend is likely to spread across the globe as consumers look for value rather than luxury and there will be a decrease in the demand for premium products. The USA is a key market for many of the brands in the Power 100 and they will surely feel the pressure of an economic slowdown. Yet despite the threat of a global economic demise, the drinks industry has a history of remaining relatively buoyant in times of economic decline.

Business Golf Etiquette

Business Golf etiquette has become a very important aspect of effective social business skills. In South Africa many business relationships are formed on the Golf Course. But unfortunately many potential business relationships were destroyed by a lack of Business Golf etiquette.

When you are hosting or invited to a business golf date, take advantage of this opportunity to project a positive image of yourself by demonstrating proper Business Golf Etiquette.

Follow these Business Golf Etiquette Tips to a tee and not only will you and your partner enjoy the day, you will also stand out as being polished, professional and trustworthy.

Scout’s Motto

Be prepared. Arrive early to get organized and to practice. Plan ahead and identify the outcomes you want from the day. These goals are just as important as any other business meeting. Prepare sound bites for your company or yourself that you can draw on if needed.

Don’t be green about the greens

Never attend a golf event for business purposes if you don’t first make the effort to learn the basic game and the lingo. You’ll only embarrass and alienate yourself and your company. Take lessons or attend a clinic.

Behave yourself

The links is not the place for you to get in touch with your inner child. No tantrums, throwing of clubs, foot stamping, swearing, whining, making excuses or indulging in other demonstrations of poor sportsmanship. Conversely, when you are playing well, be gracious. Don’t interpret the relaxed environment as an opportunity to behave in a manner unsuitable for the office, such as making jokes, gestures or remarks that may be considered by others as offensive.

Business or birdie

There is a time and place for everything. Spend the day building rapport and developing relationships. Only talk business if your guest brings it up first. Otherwise, save it for the 19th hole.

You Got Game

Don’t compromise your credibility by playing badly unless, of course, you are an Oscar winning actor. Don’t gloat when you are playing well, instead, turn it into a compliment, “You must be bringing me luck, this is my best game this year!” Sincerely compliment specific aspects of your partner’s game. Never coach or give unsolicited advice. If you are a beginner, warn your partner about your skill level and make sure they are o.k. with it.

Be an Etiquette Eagle

1. No cell phones / pagers/ PDA’s.
2. Always be ready for the next shot – don’t make others wait unnecessarily.
3. Never brag or complain about the cost of membership or green fees.
4. Take care of the course, remove your tees, replace kicked-up turf and rake after a bunker shot.
5. Don’t walk into or cast shadows over someone’s putting line.
6. Maintain a safe golf cart speed.
7. Get out of the cart whenever your opponent does.
8. Dress appropriately. If in doubt, call the club.
9. No cheating or creative scorekeeping.
10. Don’t distract other golfers by loud talking, laughing, and crinkling food wrappers.

Don’t let your manners be your handicap. Ace this opportunity to make a good impression and create shared memories that will enhance your business relationships and increase your bottom line.

 

Zuma- Africa's most influential person -Time Magazine

 Time Magazine has revealed its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, in which it “recognises the men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world”.  

The list is divided into five subsections - Leaders And Revolutionaries, Builders And Titans, Artists And Entertainers, Scientists And Thinkers and Heroes and Pioneers. 

South Africans Jacob Zuma (8^th) and Ocsar Pistorius (23^rd) made this list. Jacob Zuma were judged to be the most influential person from Africa while Oscar Pistorius were deemed to be the most influential sport person.  

The paralympic athlete, Oscar Pistorius, was deemed to be the 23^rd most influential person in the world and the most influential sportsperson in the world. Pistorius is the 3^rd most influential person in the Heroes and Pioneers subsection. Only Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Oprah Winfrey are deemed to be more influential than him.  

Jacob Zuma is deemed to be the most influential man in Africa and the 8^th most influential man in the world. The Dalai Lama, Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, John McCain, George W. Bush and the Chinese president Hu Jintao are judged to be more influential than Zuma.    

 

Google: The world’s most powerful brand

Google tops the list of the BrandZ Ranking with a brand value of US$86.1-billion followed by GE (General Electric) at US$71.4-billion and Microsoft at US$70.8-billion. The third annual BrandZ Ranking, which identifies the world’s most powerful brands as measured by their dollar value, was conducted by global market research and consulting firm Millward Brown. “This year’s brand ranking demonstrates the importance of investing in brands, especially in times of market turmoil. Strong brands generate superior returns and protect businesses from risk,” said Joanna Seddon, CEO of Millward Brown Optimor in a statement. “Our data shows that strong brands continue to outperform weak ones in terms of market share and share price during recessions.” Top 20 Brands and their values in US $ 1. Google — 86.057-billion 2. GE (General Electric) — 71,379-billion 3. Microsoft — 70,887-billion 4. Coca-Cola (includes Diet Coke) — 58,208-billion 5. China Mobile — 57,225-billion 6. IBM — 55,335-billion 7. Apple — 55,206-billion 8. McDonald’s — 49,499-billion 9. Nokia — 43,975-billion 10. Marlboro — 37,324-billion 11. Vodafone — 36,962-billion 12. Toyota — 35,134-billion 13. Wal-Mart — 34,547-billion 14. Bank of America — 33,092-billion 15. Citi — 30,318-billion 16. HP — 29,278-billion 17. BMW — 28,015-billion 18. ICBC — 28,004-billion 19. Louis Vuitton — 25,739-billion 20. American Express — 24,816-billion From: http://4cousins.blat.co.za

Interest rate hikes: How will it affect South African Marketers?

South African interest rates are going up with the effect that consumers spending will go down. In US consumer spending is also dropping and it is hurting both US and global brands. How is marketing managers reacting to the economic downturn? Forrester Research has conducted research and on the marketing implications of economic (spending) downturn.

Forrester asked its CMO Panel how the downturn would affect their budgets. More than one hundred panel members, with an average marketing budget of $83 million, responded that they expect their CFOs to demand an average cut by 3%. They said they would save on branding, advertising, and traditional media, while keeping budgets for loyalty programs, marketing technology, and new media mostly untouched.

Jaap Favier the Vice President and Research Director of Forrester suggest the following strategies to survive the downturn.

1) Employ agencies that connect with consumers. Traditional agencies excel at above-the-line mass marketing -- the line items you want to cut. Forrester believes that the agency of the future will excel at understanding your consumers, involving them in defining the brand and spreading the message, and in making them loyal brand advocates -- supporting those budget items you are keeping strong. Some agencies are on the path to connecting with consumers via social networks.

2) Start experimenting with online video. Traditional media is getting into the perfect storm: Consumer attention and trust is at an all-time low, and advertisers are cutting both ad budgets and old media budgets. To survive, they need to target ads and content to individual households and consumers. By experimenting with Web video, to understand which processes, content, and customer intelligence you will need when television offers the same functions.

3) Invest in intelligence. The name of the new marketing game: targeting. Marketing leaders have voted with their wallets to reduce the two large budget items that show the biggest waste. To get the most from their reduced budgets, they need to understand their clients better - their (media) behaviors, attitudes, needs, and social connections.

From Hemingway to Homer Simpson, everyone has the opinion on wine

 

Wine has fascinated people over the centuries. Here is few wine quotes form prominent persons. From Hemingway to Homer Simpson, everyone has the opinion on wine.

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.
Ernest Hemingway

Wino Forever
Johnny Depp
(The tattoo once read 'Winona Forever'!)

What is man, when you come to think upon him, but a minutely set, ingenious machine for turning with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine?
Isak Dinesen

Wine is bottled poetry.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages.
Louis Pasteur

"Alcohol - the cause of and solution to all of life's problems"
Homer Simpson