Lessons from the Vine #1 for Consumer Product Marketers and Developers – Be Outstanding In Your Field – Darla Hall
Entrepreneurs need breaks too. So, eight months after founding our new company, Research Vibe LLC, my partner and I enjoyed a three day wine tour through beautiful Sonoma County, California. Visiting nearly 30 wineries offered opportunities to enjoy some very educational and inspiring conversations with growers, winemakers, and tasting room experts. The lessons we learned about the organic process of winemaking, from vine to table, reminded me of insights I have gained during 25 years creating and crafting products for all sectors of the consumer product industry.
When we arrived in Northern California, grape growers were racing against the clock to harvest their crops before predicted heavy rains arrived, as much as 10 inches in 72 hours. The rain didn’t dampen our spirits and actually made the colors and textures of Fall harvest in California more vibrant and beautiful.
We had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful character, Randy Pitts, www.HarvestMoonWinery.com, a self-professed farmer and winemaker. As we watched Randy crush a batch of grapes, he shared the story of his family farm and the winery. Randy remarked, “Some growers accuse me of harvesting my grapes too early before they are ready. “But this year,” as the heavy rains were falling and many growers didn’t get their crops out of the field, Randy said, “I’m sleeping very well!” What’s the science behind his wine-making philosophy? Earlier harvesting equates to lower sugars, higher natural acids in the grape and ultimately lower alcohol in the finished wine. These factors help to create a perfect recipe for a balanced wine. He is right, his wines are unique, delicious and mouthwatering!
I was reminded from Randy’s story that it’s all about knowing your product, knowing what your market desires, and knowing when you can take measured and calculated risks that pay off in delivering market success. The key to standing out in a crowded marketplace is to know more about each of those factors than your competition and to apply that knowledge wisely to offer uniquely differentiated products with consumer driven value-added benefits.
Following the competitive pack just means you’ll put a safe product out there that looks, feels, functions, and performs like every other product.
Research Vibe’s holistic approach to product development helps effectively integrate your product into the entire marketing mix and view market opportunities from every direction to reveal transformative solutions. Are you ready to take your product development efforts to the next level? We would love to be the catalyst to help you create the kind of insight evolution that can incite a product and consumer revelation.
Darla Hall, Co-Founder
Research Vibe
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