Looking at Ontario\u2019s quest for recognition as a world-class wine region, researchers have found that cultivating evangelism among key audience members, such as wine connoisseurs, media and restaurants plays an important role in spreading the gospel of a winery\u2019s practice and the quality of Ontario wine.<\/p>\n
Maxim Voronov and Wesley Helms, professors from Brock University\u2019s Goodman School of Business, examined how wine connoisseurs \u2014 individuals with a high degree of identification with wine culture \u2014 became passionate advocates for Ontario wine in their paper \u201cEvangelism and the amazing spread of quality reputation of Ontario winemaking<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n In the study forthcoming in Academy of Management Journal, <\/em>they found wineries\u2019 interactions with connoisseurs can foster a deeper connection that may turn these individuals into evangelists \u2014 passionate advocates of Ontario wine.<\/p>\n \u201cMuch like going to church, the ritualized tours, wine tastings and events create social interactions that connect evangelists to winemakers and the wine itself,\u201d said Voronov, a research fellow at Brock\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute.<\/p>\n These ritualized interactions, whether a wine tasting, tour, or winemaker\u2019s dinner, were found to play an important role in generating not only sales among consumers, but in creating devoted advocates for the product.<\/p>\n Researchers emphasized that these tours and tastings must be more than marketing and must aim to create an authentic relationship between wineries and their guests.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is particularly evident in the Ontario wine industry,\u201d said Helms. \u201cThe industry is incredibly mobilized and a passionate force of retailers and practitioners that are all going out and celebrating the achievements of the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n This discovery was driven by the data when the researchers noticed that during the rapid evolution of the Ontario industry, it wasn\u2019t just a growing consumer base, it was connoisseurs using every tool at their disposal to advocate and promote Ontario wine.<\/p>\n Helms and Voronov did find that some wineries are doing a better job at cultivating evangelists on behalf of their product, while others could benefit from developing these relationships.<\/p>\n Their full report is available online at brocku.ca\/webfm_send\/41006<\/a><\/p>\n Voronov and Helms were recently featured on a Conversations with Goodman podcast here, which can be heard here:
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