Wine marketing 101: 19 Crimes

Someone gave us a bottle of 19 Crimes Red. It was awful. We couldn't drink it, so we used it to make beef stew. We have since received multiple bottles from friends but have never bought it. Each time it was relegated to cooking duty. How could people buy something that was so utterly awful? Clearly, they must not have tasted it themselves or they really don't appreciate wine. 

I was intrigued by the name and how it suddenly became popular out of nowhere. But I never looked it up until yesterday. OMG, it turns out that all the wine connoisseurs pooh-pooh 19 Crimes. Yet, it sells a ton of bottles and grew quickly. 

The brand turns out to be a stroke of marketing genius. The name itself, 19 Crimes, refers to the crimes committed in the UK that would relegate the perpetrators to a one-way trip to Australia. There are 19 corks each with a crime that are assigned randomly to the bottles across the range. Which one will you find today?

As it turns out, the wine is targeted at young men who don't really know anything about wine but are attracted to the somewhat risque concept of petty crime. Given that I know something about marketing having done it for most of my career on Madison Avenue, I find this fascinating. 

From the website...

"Punishment by Transportation

Between 1788 and 1868, 165,000 convicts made the long voyage by sea to Australia. Times were tough for criminals, but these individuals were tougher. They survived the boat ride and the exile. Now their stories survive into the 21st century with 19 Crimes."

They promote polyamorous relationships and nonconventional behaviour. They target Gen Z and Millenials. They challenge you to 'break convention'.

They don't tell you who the producer is, and they don't say much about what makes up the red. They do say that the origin is Australia. So there you go, one of the ancestors, or more, of those transported to Australia as criminals has come up with a unique concept that appeals to young blokes all over. 

And they use Snoop Dog and Martha Stewart as celebrity promoters. Brilliant. Just slightly shady. 

"Our red blend bears the same traits as those banished to Australia. Defiant by nature, bold in character. Always uncompromising. It's a taste you'll never forget."

You bet I won't forget. 

Good case study.