Social Media and Web Marketing Strategies: An Exploratory Study in the Italian Wine Sector

Social media have not only changed the way in which organisations and their brands interact with customers, it has also changed the way business gets done. Organisations are now able to reach consumers online and network with them. If these web communications are effectively managed, they become part of customer conversations. Despite that the Italian wine sector is characterized by a structural delay in the adoption of ICT, many managers are now trying to use social media as a low cost tools in their marketing strategies. The aim of this study is to explore the best practices adopted by Italian wineries in increasing wine brand visibility. Six leader wineries have been selected as case studies according to their business size, target market, product typologies and brand value. Wineries are compared in order to evaluate the relationships between wine brands, visibility, and social media strategies. Results show the existence of different development paths within the Italian wine sector. As a consequence comparative studies are required in order both to manage social media relationships and to reach higher levels of brand equity.