How a Small South African Winery is Changing the Way That the Biggest and Most Influential Retailers Connect With Their Customers

How a Small South African Winery is Changing the Way That the Biggest and Most Influential Retailers Connect With Their Customers

LONDON, February 5/PRNewswire/ --

- With photo

What started as a coupon for "suppliers' friends and family" on the
Stormhoek winery's blog in 2006 snowballed into one of the biggest internet
sensations of last year. Nearly 5 million 40%-off Threshers vouchers were
downloaded, and 150,000 of them were redeemed over 10 days, with the company
reporting a near-total stock clear-out in some of its outlets, alongside
record sales.

On the surface, this was a story about error and unexpected consequence;
one that appeals to our lust for disruption and mischief. But deeper down, it
is the tale of how Stormhoek - a little winery that nobody had ever heard of
- is changing both the rules of the wine game, and a giant retail monolith of
the High Street.

Stormhoek's online reach and influence continues to widen. Its innovative
online marketing has already received prestigious awards from the Society of
New Communications Research and American AdAge.

2007 has already seen Stormhoek link up with Microsoft and, right now,
with Tesco, the UK's leading wine retailer - with its share of over 50% of
UK's total wine sales.

The man behind Stormhoek's online strategy is Hugh MacLeod, a cartoonist
and marketing strategist whose own blog, www.gapingvoid.com, is the
most-visited in the UK, with 10 million hits monthly.

This week and next, in the lead up to Valentine's Day, Hugh takes to the
road with renowned Scottish filmmaker Colin Kennedy to visit 50 Tesco stores
in an attempt to discover the meaning of true love - and to make a movie each
day on the road and then a final movie to be released later in the year.
"There is no script," Hugh explains. "The stars of the films will be the
people I meet in the stores. I'm hoping that people will turn out in their
droves for the chance to become a star and find love. Who knows what may
happen?"

The tour co-incides with the launch of Stormhoek's special, limited
edition 'Big Love' rosé, which features one of MacLeod's cool cartoons on the
label - "...a first for Stormhoek, a first for wine and a real
conversation-starter".

So why the film, and why Tesco? Hugh explains: "For me, the main message
underlying all this is the fact that in order to grow organically, in the
long-term, big businesses like Tesco really need to recapture the "human
factor" and work hard at connecting on a human level with their customers.
It's all about getting people talking - and having fun."

Hugh continues: "Once again, I'm delighted that our small winery is
working in tandem with a huge, mega-giant of a business and helping them to
think differently about how they sell and communicate their product."

That's not all. At the end of the tour before the movie is finished, one
lucky lady will be whisked by Hugh in 'The Love Unit' to Heathrow, where the
happy couple will fly to Cape Town for a dinner under the stars at the
Stormhoek winery.

Who says that romance was dead? And who said that you can't find love in
the aisles of a supermarket?

More info:

www.stormhoek.com

www.gapingvoid.com

Tour dates:

The tour has already called at Inverness, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Durham,
Tadcaster, Blackpool, Bidston Moss, Horwich and Warrington.

Future tour dates:

5th: Stockport, Altrichham, Redditch, Cardiff

6th: Yeovil, Bournemouth

7th: Purley, Gatwick, Chichester.

8th: Sandhurst, Bursledon, Cirencester.

9th: Reading, Newbury, Abingdon.

10th: Barr Hill, Royston, Watford.

11th: Aylesbury, Ipswich

12th: Cheshunt, Colchester.

13th: Pitsea, Twickenham.

14th: Brooklands, New Malden.

Note to Editors

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA
Photowire. It can be viewed at www.mediapoint.press.net or
www.prnewswire.co.uk

Source: Orbital Wines Ltd

Interviews, information, opinion, images: Catherine Monahan +44-(0)7809-583948, Andrew Porton +44(0)20-7802-5415, firstname@orbitalwines.co.uk

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