Using a 17 th century Benedictine monk to convert myth into history in an effort to sell more fizz AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Creating Tradition The importance of name Creating Tradition The importance of a label Creating Tradition The importance of image Setting a context 2AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Creating tradition in the new world through association with France- Example 1 Chateau Los Boldos, Chile Chateau Los Boldos Tag line: The French Chateau of ChileThe French Chateau of Chile The wine range reflects the traditions of France 3AFIS Conference Reims 2010

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Creating tradition through association with France Example 2 Clos du Bois, (U.S.A) 5AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Listen carefully!! Clos du Bois. All the French you need to know AFIS Conference Reims 20106

The origins of the name “I couldn't make a French wine in California, but wanting to move toward that spectrum on the scale of being consumer friendly and elegant…the suggestion came of why don't you call it 'vineyard of the Woods' in French? and that is how Clos du Bois came to be named” (Interview in 1998 with Frank Woods owner and founder of Clos du Bois Winery) 7AFIS Conference Reims 2010

SUBLIMINAL THEFT OF TRADITION? AFIS Conference Reims 20108

Burgundy Shape Bordeaux Shape Burgundy Shape Alsace Shape Bordeaux Shape 9AFIS Conference Reims 2010

WHY IS ALL THIS THEFT OF TRADITION IMPORTANT? AFIS Conference Reims

11AFIS Conference Reims 2010 The Sunday Business Post April

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Using a 17 th century Benedictine monk to convert myth into history in an effort to sell more fizz AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Invented tradition is taken to mean a set of practices, normally governed by overtly or tacitly accepted rules and of a ritual or symbolic nature, which seek to inculcate certain values and norms of behaviour by repetition, which automatically implies continuity with the past (The Invention of Tradition Eric Hobsbawm,1983) 14AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Hobsbawm also suggests that historians have found examples of invented tradition in all eras but it can be expected to be more frequent when a rapid transformation of society weakens or destroys the social patterns for which old traditions have been designed It’s not suprising the business world seeks to exploit tradition for monetary gain 15AFIS Conference Reims 2010

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Creating Tradition! Once established the Champenois deliberately attempted to associate their product with aristocratic society 17AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Creating Tradition! At the end of the 19 th century champagne producers appeared to hold a class position similar to the elite they were trying to attract (Guy 1999) Creating a ‘mythic’ past that linked the wine and a family name to tradition and honour could add respectability and status to a brand 18AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Matthew Healey’s 5 components of successful branding Positioning Storytelling Design Price Customer Relationships 19AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Designing an identity for a product is far easier when the product has some history because that history might still have a connection with peoples imagination(Healey citing Massimo Vignelli) French wine history offers us an abundance of riches in terms of story 20AFIS Conference Reims 2010

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Ultimate Irony according to Klaudstrup “The man credited with putting the bubbles in champagne actually worked most of his life to keep them out” (Klaudstrup,2005,p.4) …… most enduring ‘myth’ explaining that Dom Grossard was largely responsible for its creation in an effort to memorialize the achievements of the Abbey (Guy, 1999, p.227). 22AFIS Conference Reims 2010

The night he invented Champagne !!! (Le Petit Journal June 1914) 23AFIS Conference Reims 2010

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“Unfortunately the story is myth and no more… The truth has disappeared during the more than two and a half centuries since Dom Pérignon died. Like Homerian epics and the tales of wandering minstrels, the stories of Dom Pérignon have drifted down to us over the years, embellished and adorned, their accuracy lost in the dust of time” (Fetter being cited by Bullock, Wang and Bullock, 1998, p. 485) 25AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Conclusions 26AFIS Conference Reims 2010

Conclusions 27AFIS Conference Reims 2010

A final word from the monk himself!! 28AFIS Conference Reims 2010 Focus more on the added value brought about through story, history and indeed “place”. It is the communication of their associated traditions, real or invented, that could yet prove to be the single most important factor in the success of French wine among modern consumers.