You have to ask. Who is this hip, young man, Mark Clennon and why is his face on this wine label? Is he the winemaker? My inquiring mind needed to know so I plucked the bottle from the shelf. The first clue sits near the bottom of the label – Local Artist Series. The term artist still leaves a number of possibilities open. What’s on the back label? More than you would ever expect.
The back label is all about Mark Clennon and the Local Artist Series he is part of. It’s an initiative to connect Jackson-Triggs wine lovers with the music of emerging local artists. There’s a brief intro to the series and some profile information on Mark Clennon but what’s really great is the QR code. Scan it and it takes you to the dedicated Local Artist Series page on the winery website. There you’ll find profiles of six diverse artists from across Canada who are featured in the series. There’s a play button under each artist’s photo. Clicking that takes you to YouTube and the song video begins to play. Two clicks and you’re listening to music. No exhausting brand-focused detour to find it.
Let’s go back to the front label. The black and gold is a strong combination but there is way more to this production than what you see at first glance. Starting at the top. The JT logo is created in gold and silver foil. Jackson-Triggs has a gold foil shadow. Mark Clennon’s name, minus a letter or two, is repeated six times in gold ink. His full name is set below in gold with a raised gloss finish. Gold foil also accents the words Reserve, Local Artist Series and Limited Edition. That’s a pretty expensive production – times six artists. But wait, there’s more.
In addition to what is already an incredible investment in promoting these artists, the bottle also comes with one of the most impressive on-pack pieces I have ever seen. It’s a small, flat, square box affixed to the bottle neck. The graphics repeat the label information. Through a window cutout you can see the artist but you can’t tell what’s inside and the package doesn’t scream that information like a cereal box would. Inside there are two heavy duty coasters. One for each of the local artists from your area. If you throw out the box and recycle the bottle, you still have the coaster with all the Series information and the QR code to take you back to the web page. The coasters get daily use on my desk.
Many wineries support causes of different kinds. As I wrote here, the level of support can vary substantially. Consumers are most impressed with significant contribution from a brand. I’d count this Jackson-Triggs campaign as significant.
Do you respond to cause and cultural support initiatives? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll be listening to the Mark Clennon song I downloaded.
