In challenging the leader, your biggest challenge is perception (not your product).

Warning: this post contains spoilers from the movie “Bottle Shock” (released in 2008), and while the film is based upon historical events that occurred in 1976, please do not proceed further if you’re planning on seeing the movie--or don't like learning about history. And now that you've been warned, movie spoilers and marketing lessons shall now commence...

I recently watched the movie “Bottle Shock", a film based upon the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 commonly known as the “Judgment of Paris”, a blind wine-tasting competition between French and California whites and reds. Until this time, French wines had a corner on the market, with California wines considered posers or bargain-basement drinks commonly found in dorm rooms.

The event was organized by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant with a shop in Paris. Spurrier was not an advocate of California wines, in fact at the time he only sold French wine. But he desperately needed promotion in order to increase profits.

Hungry for exposure, and to be taken seriously, the Californians were excited to be a part of the promotion. And the French were open to the challenge because they considered themselves unstoppable... after all, their wines were legendary. So one could say it was a duel between ambition and arrogance. To the surprise (shock!) of all, California wines rated best in BOTH the white and red categories.

Here's the trailer for more context (RSS readers click through to the blog to view):

Now, the Californians wouldn’t have won had they not put their all into an exemplary product. But the product wasn’t the problem. Perception was. And that’s a devil if ever there was one in the marketing craft. Because people love surprises, upsets and underdogs--but they don't much fancy their perceptions being challenged. So the facts need to be irrefutable but they need to be presented creatively. And that's where marketing comes in.

The takeaway for marketers? In challenging leaders you’re competing against perception FAR more than product. So you need to identify strategies and tactics that will level the playing field--so as to cut through the thick layer of perception. In this instance the taste-testing competition was “blind” with all wines only being judged on taste, color, odor. But in order to really break through the insights need to be presented in a manner that excites and amazes people so that they celebrate their surprise... in this case it was the French who were judging the wines.

The other takeaway? Once myths are shattered, your product can break through, but so too can others. As the competition didn’t just open the long locked-down playing field to the Americans--but the entire world. At the end of the movie the event organizer explains:

“We have shattered the myth of the ‘invincible French vine’ and, not just in California… we’ve opened the eyes of the world. Mark my words, we’ll be drinking wines from South America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, India, China. This is not the end, this is just the beginning. Welcome to the future.”

In 2006, to mark the 30-year anniversary of the event, they held another competition. The Californians won.

Again.

PS: For a show that is based upon leveling the playing field for talent--and a STUNNING perception-bending surprise, enjoy this segment.

Comments

[melissa]

CK once again you nailed it right on the head, both with the Bottle Shock review/comments and the awesome segment of Britain's Got Talent. I love reading your blog because your posts are so insightful and a propos. Keep it coming! --Melissa

[Don Lafferty]

Americans love to root for an underdog just as much as we like to see the mighty fall. It's part of the fabric of our revolutionary mindset.

At the same time people can be fiercely loyal to brands based on very emotional underpinnings.

Tapping into that underdog-loving spirit while serving the emotional soft-center of a consumer's loyalty and at the same time exceeding their product performance expectations is a process born of respect. When a brand is able to successfully run this gauntlet and deliver, nobody is more pleased than the consumer.