CAMPAIGN: BARONE FINI “FLIGHT OF FINI”
CLIENT: DEUTSCH FAMILY WINE & SPIRITS–BARONE FINI
AGENCY: INSPIRA MARKETING GROUP
The Challenge
For more than six centuries, the Bonmartini-Fini family has been making wine in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Northern Italy since 1497. Even so, awareness of Barone Fini wines was not competitive.
What is the most impressionable way to create an experience that enhances brand recognition? This was especially important in the context of the heavily-saturated wine market and the need for boosted unaided awareness in both off-premise shelves and onpremise menus.
Methodology
To ensure success, we used our proprietary EQxIQ methodology to look at what drives motivation and brand preference (EQ – mindset modeling, national field team panels, custom surveys, etc…) and business intelligence (IQ – custom analytics, syndicated data, performance and sales data, etc…) to develop our strategy.
EQ: Through custom Mindset Modeling, we identified a core subset of target consumers who crave new opportunities and believe that life is a collection of well-crafted experiences. Neuroscience also revealed that a multi-sensory tasting experience forges an authentic and lasting emotional connection. To deepen their appreciation of the wine, this identified audience also appreciates learning directly from experts, and meeting fellow enthusiasts adds to their immersion.
IQ: Syndicated research informed us of the importance of travel to wine enthusiasts.
The Inspirational Insight
Engaging consumers with a multi-sensory experience of traveling to the vineyards of Barone Fini will instill an unrivaled passion for the brand.
The Concept
Inspired by Barone Fini’s newest imagery displayed on their wine labels (hot air balloons flying over a vineyard), our concept transported consumers to the authentic vineyards of Northern Italy where Barone Fini wine is produced. Inspira designed and produced a larger-than-life custom inflatable attraction, featuring a hot air balloon and gondola as the centerpiece of the activation, and showcased the activation at 6 hot air balloon festivals along the East Coast.
Our Rome-based production team shot drone footage of the vineyard and produced a fully immersive 360-degree Virtual Reality (VR) experience that was viewed by consumers wearing an Oculus VR headset. In addition, narration and brand education in the VR film was provided by Giovanni Bonmartini, a direct descendant of the founding Bonmartini-Fini family.
Inspira Brand Ambassadors then brought the big idea further to life by encouraging patrons to post a photo of themselves on social media, while sitting on a Barone Fini branded vespa “over-looking” the Italian Alps. After further educating consumers on Barone Fini wine with a complimentary sample tasting, consumers were seamlessly driven from sample to sale at the “Flight of Fini” wine concession adjacent to the activation.
The Results
- Executed the Flight of Fini experience at 6 hot air balloon festivals along the East Coast
- Gained exposure to 173,500+ attendees
- Delivered over 17,000+ Barone Fini samples, directly influencing 4,655 additional glasses of wine to be purchased
- Conducted 915 surveys, reporting that on average 78% of consumers were newly educated on the brand, plus displaying a future purchase intent of 74% (above historical benchmarks of 56%!).
