What Champagne taught me about B2B Storytelling
Champagne houses all have the same rules to follow to make wine and earn the prestige to add "champagne" to the label, but it's their story which elevates the brands that stand out.
I went to Champagne, France to sample champagne. I didn’t know what to expect. It soon became apparent that these houses, big or small, were not just selling champagne, but selling you on why their champagne was the best and it all started with a story.
Champagne has been telling stories since the early 1700’s. Thanks to great marketing and storytelling, it’s become synonymous with luxury. When visiting, every champagne tour is similar. You’re greeted by someone who is going to give you a tour of the caves, the cellars, and walk you through the process of making champagne as well as regale you with the history of their specific champagne house and why it’s special (and better than all of the others). However, that last part is subtle. They never say they are better, they just give you that feeling through their story.
The parallels between the storytelling and branding in champagne are quite similar to B2B Marketing.
Using color in your brand to evoke a feeling
At the heart of each story there is a unique value proposition (UVP) of what is rare and special about their house and the way they make champagne. Sometimes there are additional stories/characters/subplots weaved into the main story that enhance the overall perception, value, and feeling you receive. This is why product marketing is such a key role and why it belongs in marketing (more on that in a future post).
For example, Ruinart, one of the larger houses, is the oldest champagne producer, producing bubbly since 1729. Just by hearing those words “the oldest” they get the label of being “first” and that alone lends itself to expertise. However, it also has beautiful white chalk cellars and their new eco-friendly packaging around the bottle is also white and textured, reflecting that of the chalk cellars. In marketing, the color white is used to give a sense of purity, freshness, and because it’s champagne — elegance.
Telling stories through art
Beyond that there is an extensive amount of artwork weaved throughout the Ruinart cellar, each with it’s own complimenting story. One interactive piece even shows you how the wine is made (this made me think about interactive websites).
Perhaps, the most prominent artwork is a painting from artist Alphonse Mucha from the late 1800’s on the wall in the tasting room which is where you start and end the tour. The painting is mentioned in the beginning with a story told about how women were not allowed to drink champagne which is why his painting portrays a woman drinking champagne from a coupe glass, because the coupe was how she could hide what she was drinking in the glass with her hand.
As you descend down the 140 cellar stairs and take a tour through the winding cellars you then come full circle to go back up those stairs where there is a mural of that same Alphonse Mucha painting on the stairs that will bring you back into the tasting room. (This reminds me of repetition of messaging. Repeat it until you’re tired of saying it and that’s when you know people have finally heard you.)
From there you taste the champagne (think ‘try before you buy/demo’) and you are reminded of all that you were told throughout the tour in case you missed any of the story or details, you also have the opportunity to ask questions (This reminded me of sales folks asking questions during the discovery process). There’s even a gift shop should you wish to purchase something from your visit (think follow up content, like case studies, ebooks, how-to’s).
Weaving the story into your overall brand
Veuve, is a great example of weaving the story into your overall brand. After all, who isn’t familiar with that famous yellow label (Pantone 137C), trademarked since 1877? Not to mention their name lends to their story. When translated it literally means “widow Clicquot” a reference to Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who took over a very male dominated business after her husband had died in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Code restricted women from owning businesses in France without permission from a husband or father, except for widows. This allowed her to get around the law and it added a sense of clout to the bottle. Others who had widows at their houses also started adding “veuve” to their brand names. She struggled financially for years until she made a bold move in 1814 and decided to break into the Russian market by running the blockade during the war and smuggling thousands of bottles across the border into Russia. Within 90 days she was known as “The Widow.”
Additionally, before Madame Clicquot arrived on the scene, champagne used to be cloudy, however, she invented the riddling system (putting bottles upside down) to clear out the sediment making it the clear bubbly drink you drink today. Her story is a sense of overcoming difficult times, being bold, and being a first inventor in the industry. This is akin to founder stories and why they create their B2B products.
Influencer marketing and personalization can help amplify your story and brand
Since 2008 Veuve has been the main sponsor of the Polo Classic lending itself to influencer/celebrity endorsements. Having other people tell your story is more beneficial than if you tell it. Today when visiting the Veuve champagne house there is a cafe for you to enjoy lunch and a gift shop where you can personalize your very own Veuve box to feel a part of the luxury movement.
When I went to personalize my box I wanted to put the name of my neighborhood and not my city. But it only did cities because it mapped the kilometers from the city to Veuve in Reims, France. However, the woman behind the counter helped me find a city in another part of the world that was the name of my neighborhood. She was super helpful and even though the kilometers were wrong, I decided to buy it anyway because I figure no one is going to notice the kilometers since that font is small. She helped me in the sales process in a genuine way that made me feel like she wanted to solve my problem. And it worked.
Putting the customer in your story
Lastly, there were also smaller champagne producers, such as Lancelot Pienne, who focused their stories on the labor and care they put into the grapes, the land, and the blending of their products each and every day because they truly care about delivering an exceptional product to the consumer, always putting the customer at the center of their story.
Usually, when visiting one of these small producers you meet with the wine maker or a relative who runs you through the tour. In fact, some of the smaller producers’ champagne was equally as good as some of the larger houses for a fraction of the cost. Like most SaaS startups, they find themselves competing on price instead of value because they don’t have the branding and marketing to take them to the level of Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, or Moet Chandon. However, eventually they’ll hopefully catch the palate of an influencer (like Jay-Z who now owns Ace of Spades champagne).
My 7 Takeaways for B2B from Champagne:
Every product needs a story, it just can’t sell on its own, no matter how great it is. There’s no such thing as “build it and they will come.”
Your unique value prop matters. It’s what sets you a part from the others and it’s the basis of your story. Feel free to weave in other elements to tell the story like graphics, but make it simple.
Hammer your key messaging over and over again until people remember.
Put the customer first in your marketing, highlight them and by doing so you’ll make brand champions, and word of mouth will flourish.
Let people try before they buy. A walk through demo on your website or a free trial will make buyers trust you more and be more curious about your product.
Don’t compete on price, compete on value. While the price method will work initially, it won’t scale long term.
Personalize the experience within your marketing by being helpful, and not sales-y. If someone downloaded an ebook, send them something else on the topic, even if it is just a blog or an external article. When you’re perceived as helpful, it says you care about them (and in the end it is all about them).