Responses to the Dobbes Family Estate July Newsletter article:
"Joe's Corner: Don't Be Fooled By The Label" (click here to read the newsletter)
Dear Joe and the WBJ staff,
I just read your June 2008 newsletter and wanted to respond to Joe's request for opinion on potentially changing the WBJ label, so here goes:
I say go for it, change it up and give it a slightly more sophisticated look and see what happens (we'll still all buy it so I doubt you will loose sales). Yes the current label is fun and we truly think its great but, we really know how good the wine inside is. I can see and understand some people dismissing the wine (based on the label) because
they don't get it - 5 years ago, I didn't get it either but not everyone will be introduced to this wine with Joe himself standing on the other side of the table pouring you a taste with his infectious smile. I am sure there is a way to change it up a bit to appeal to a broader audience and still retain Joe's original idea and theme of great wine without the attitude. The current label has had a great run and I think changing it up/jazzing it up a bit is totally justified based on its sales and accolades thus far. You could almost look at it as the label growing up to match the wine.
Just for fun, I came up with an idea: It kind of goes along with the idea of the label (or Joe character) "growing up" to match the wine.
1. reverse the colors to a dark label background and light color logo
2. get rid of the big 'WINE by Joe' title and make the Joe character even bigger (perhaps change the clothing colors) and place the 'WINE by Joe' logo on the Joe character's shirt thus serving as the title/brand of the wine.
Attached are two color/font variations on my idea.
Best of luck guys!
Hi Joe,
I read your Joe's Corner on the Wine By Joe label.
In March I had a wine party at the house and served Wine By Joe Pinot Noir. I served the wine to the guests who truly enjoyed it. When they asked what wine it was, I showed them the bottle. Every single time, the guest expressed surprise at the label drawing the same conclusions you mention in the article. After explaining the label, winemaker's style and quality notes to them, they relaxed a bit.
I believe you are faced with conflicting objectives: Good value, good quality wine vs. poking a little fun at the culture. So I would point to the "money" side of the business. Is the Wine By Joe selling? Are you satisfied with the presence of the wine in the market place? If so, leave the label alone. It is your legacy to be different, to push the
envelope. Exciting!
However, if you want to push more product and improve the bottom-line via increased volume, then you must fit in with the masses of other wine labels out in the market place. Boring!
My vote: Leave the label alone. If people object to the label, sell them a Fortmiller!
Herb
Dear Joe,
After reading your "Joe's Corner" section of the recent Dobbes Family Estate newsletter, I felt compelled to write my thoughts on the Wine By Joe label.
To go back a couple of years, I was first introduced to Wine By Joe at an event at the Portland waterfront in the summer of 2006 (the Taste of Oregon maybe? I can't recall). Not a "wine person" at the time by any means, I had been rather reluctantly coerced into walking through the wine garden area. I saw all of the usual "wine people" with their elegant but ultimately dull displays and labels, and quite frankly was really longing for a beer more than anything – but when your female companion insists, sometimes you just go along for the ride. Then, completely out of nowhere, I spot this cool little booth advertising "Wine By Joe". "Who's Joe?" my wife asked, to which I replied (and I remember this very, very well) "Who cares? He obviously 'gets it'!". Immediately I was taken by the idea of this little illustration and this big bold font being used to sell wine, so much so that I wasn't even really interested in whether or not the wine was even good – all that mattered was that finally someone was selling wine to people like me. I could go on and on about how much I love Wine By Joe or how I'm almost convinced that I've single-handedly depleted the inventory of José Rosé at my local Whole Foods a few times now, but that really isn't the point of my reply here.
The point is this, I'm still very new to wine – no question about it – and I had managed to live my life for over 30 years already without giving wine much of a thought at all until that one fateful day in 2006. It wasn't until I experienced Wine By Joe that I had even really given wine a chance and so now, as I purchase at least 2-3 different bottles of wine each month, the Wine By Joe label and image are really very special to me. Wine By Joe has expanded my horizons and changed my opinion of wine forever and so I beg you, please, pay no attention those that don't "get" the label – it's very obvious to me that Wine By Joe knows exactly what they're doing.
Sincerely,
Richard L.
Green Tangerine Media
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