The Buzz at Lyman PR
Prominent Napa and Sonoma Wineries Innovating With TastingRoom Inc’s Wine Product Sampling Kits
Trefethen Family Vineyards, Grgich Hills Estate, Patz & Hall, Chateau Montelena Winery and DeLoach Vineyards All Innovating With TastingRoom Inc.’s Wine Product Sampling Kits
Prominent Napa and Sonoma Wineries are Bringing Their Premium Wine Tasting Experience in Small Bottles Directly to Trade and Consumers
SANTA ROSA, California (April 1, 2010) – TastingRoom™ Inc., creators of innovative sample-sized (50ml) wines packaged in mini bottles and tasting kits, today announced additional premium wineries incorporating TastingRoom Inc.’s wine sampling kits into their trade and consumer marketing plans this Spring. Top branded, award-winning Napa and Sonoma wineries including Trefethen Family Vineyards, Grgich Hills Estate, Patz & Hall, Chateau Montelena Winery and DeLoach Vineyards announced plans to use TastingRoom Inc.’s distinctive product sampling solution to market and sell their premium wines.
TastingRoom, Inc.’s kits are an easy, low cost way to expose customers and channels to new wine vintages and varietals before they purchase bottles or cases. The winery sampling kits boast brand labeling, high-quality display packaging and wine tasting menus written by the wineries and winemakers.
TastingRoom, Inc.’s patent-pending decanting process creates a perfect pour of wine in a mini glass wine bottle, replicating both the taste and look of the larger format bottle that the wine was originally transferred from.
Designed from the ground up to be a high-volume, commercial solution for premium wines, the company creates the wine tasting samples via its inventive T.A.S.T.E. Technology™ (Total Anaerobic Sample Transfer Environment). The “clean room”-styled decanting process is unprecedented and distinguishable from any other wine sampling offering on the market today. Using this method, wineries have the ability to recreate replicas of their wine in smaller sizes, packaging them into kits for both trade and consumers, and ultimately providing a range of uses to expand reach and sales potential.
“TastingRoom Inc.’s sample size formats provide an opportunity to introduce our wines to the trade and customers in locales that have been unattainable thus far,” said Janet Trefethen, CEO of Trefethen Family Vineyards. “Now we can bring a wine tasting experience to their front door, broadening exposure to our wines and opening us to new markets. It’s a win-win.”
“We’re excited to introduce our wines to new customers using this amazing new technology,” said Violet Grgich, Proprietor, Vice President, Grgich Hills Estate. “It can accurately bring to your home the taste and aroma of a 750ml bottle of wine in 50ml sample sizes, at a fraction of the cost. We’re also using individual bottles so our sales staff can taste more accounts on more of our wines—including our expensive Special Selections wines—at their convenience. They don’t have to open a 750ml bottle for just one or two accounts.”
Wineries have the flexibility to choose the wines they put into the sampler kits allowing each to creatively market and showcase their wines in whatever manner they choose. These premium Napa and Sonoma wineries are creating a wide variety of kits for use, including tasting flights of new releases, exclusive side-by-side tastings of single vineyard varietals, library wine samplers, tastes of the top sellers and more.
“We are honored to have these top wineries use our T.A.S.T.E. wine tasting kits to expand their businesses,” says Tim Bucher, CEO of TastingRoom, Inc. “We continue to be manically focused on helping premium wineries bring their tasting room experiences and cost efficient sample-to-purchase business formula out to the trade and consumers.”
Leading-edge Napa and Sonoma wineries like Trefethen Family Vineyards, Grgich Hills Estate, Patz & Hall, Chateau Montelena Winery and DeLoach Vineyards join Domaine Carneros, Seghesio Family Vineyards and others in using TastingRoom Inc.’s wine tasting samplers and kits for marketing to trade contacts, as well as to consumers through their wine clubs, in tasting rooms and at events.
About TastingRoom Inc.
TastingRoom Inc. provides wineries and consumers with innovative sample-sized wine tasting packages and new direct channels for product sampling, marketing and selling wines. TastingRoom Inc. uses its unique T.A.S.T.E. Technology to transfer wine directly from larger wine bottles (750ml and up) into smaller 50ml formats in a sealed, zero-oxygen chamber. A focus on wine quality drives every step of the transfer and testing process, so that wineries can be assured that the samples are a true representation of their wine.
TastingRoom Inc. is based in Sonoma County, with offices in Silicon Valley, Napa Valley and Paso Robles. For more information on Tasting Room Inc. or T.A.S.T.E. Technology, email TRInfo@TastingRoom.com or visit TastingRoom.com. Find us here on Facebook.
Contact: Carm Lyman, Lyman Public Relations
Phone: 707-256-3834
Email: carm@lymanpr.com
Putting Some Zip into Catalina’s Tourism
Video Interview: Wrapsol Wrap-Up at CTIA, from Butterscotch.com
Antique iPhone Accessories
What’s an “antique iPhone accessory” you ask? Have a look at some of the most popular:
Why are these antiques, you ask? Because of Wrapsol’s new Ultra protective film, which replaces those with this:
Learn more about the Ultra for iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, Nexus and other handsets, plus how to protect gadgets at Wrapsol.com
Wrap it up
Wrapsol video demonstrates how to apply protective film system to iPhone
New “Wrapsol Ultra” Adhesive Film Instantly Protects Mobile Devices Against Damage from Everyday Mishaps
Patent-Pending Solution Allows for Easy Application That Gives Portable Devices Defense Against Scratches, Cracks, Dents and Dings and Even a Six-Foot Fall
Weymouth, Mass., – Wrapsol, LLC., today introduced Wrapsol Ultra, a patent-pending, first-ever line of adhesive films to include a shock absorption property that provides both drop and scratch protection for today’s most popular portable and mobile devices. Custom cut for the Apple iPhone and iPod lines, Blackberry and Motorola Droid handsets, the Sony PSP and several other devices, Wrapsol Ultra is twice as strong as simple scratch-proofing films and adheres in about a minute using no moisture, for nearly instant protection against damage from off-the-counter and out-of-pocket falls.
Unlike generic polyester-based films that only cover screens and tear easily, Wrapsol protects the entire device front to back with the a strong, flexible film that evolved from paint and bumper protection in the automotive industry, including Formula One cars. The adhesive film technology used in Wrapsol Ultra goes further to provide a level of shock protection previously possible only with clunky cases.
Wrapsol Ultra protective films use a new dry application process making protecting mobile phones, MP3 players, netbooks, notebooks, digital cameras and portable gaming devices faster than ever before with a quick, three-step process: simply align the film, tack it down, smooth it on. An air bubble-releasing adhesive that is unique to Wrapsol products ensures the smoothest application possible.
“Consumers invest a lot of time and money to select the right mobile phone, notebook computer or MP3 player that not only keeps them connected, but best fits their personal style,” said Lew Cohen, founder and president of Wrapsol. “Using our unique, patent-pending film, Wrapsol Ultra provides more thorough protection for mobile device than any other solution available today.”
Like the original Wrapsol, the Wrapsol Ultra films are optically clear and come cut precisely to the curves, buttons, slots and ports of individual devices for a perfect, contour hugging fit that includes corner, side and slide out protection that preserves the original design of the device.
Wrapsol Ultra protective film products are available for today’s most popular devices, including the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, Motorola Droid, Blackberry handsets including the Blackberry Storm 9550, Blackberry Bold 9700 and Blackberry Tour, the Palm Pre Plus and the Sony PSP 3000 and PSP Go. For more information, visit www.wrapsol.com.
Wrapsol is as dedicated to protecting the environment as it is to protecting devices. For every Wrapsol scratch-proof protection system sold, the company makes a donation to Cool Earth, a non-profit organization that helps protect endangered rainforests world-wide. And in keeping with the three Rs—reduce, reuse and recycle—Wrapsol products come in recycled, reusable and 100% recyclable packaging and start at $24.99.
Wrapsol will be demonstrating their products at CTIA in Las Vegas next week at booth #6135.
About Wrapsol
Wrapsol LLC is a leading maker of protective adhesive solutions for today’s most popular consumer electronics devices and mobile phone handsets including the Apple iPhone and Google Nexus One handsets, Asus netbooks, the Amazon Kindle e-reader and the Sony PSP and Nintendo DSi gaming systems. Using patent-pending technology created by the inventors of protective films for paint and bumpers in the automotive industry, the Wrapsol and Wrapsol Ultra lines guard against dings, dents, cracks, scuffs and scratches with an optically clear film keeping devices like new. More information about Wrapsol and its product lines can be found at www.wrapsol.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jill Mayer, Lyman Public Relations. 775-392-0575 or jill@lymanpr.com
###
An evolution in PR technique or ‘one more thing’ to worry about?
Pitching media is a lost (or in some cases, never found) art for PR practitioners. The very best have a style all their own but always with a common thread: knowing what a particular journalist wants/needs and via what means to communicate. However, journalists today are more susceptible to information overload than ever before, with social media added to the barrage of phone calls and email.
As such, PitchEngine has announced an interesting new platform that injects social media squarely into the realm of PR professionals. Is this an evolution in how we’ll do business or just one more thing to think about?
Below is the article on MediaBistro by Joe Ciarallo. Find it online here
PitchEngine Partners With Technorati and MyMediaInfo; Announces Media Relations Platform
By Joe Ciarallo
First on PRNewser: PitchEngine, the multi-media content distribution company, is readying a new media relations platform called Pitch! Mainly, the platform will enable one-to-one private conversations between media and PR pros, among other features.
The service seeks to make things more manageable for PR pros by allowing them to create “pitches” and interact and respond to media requests on a private platform. From the media side, journalists can post questions to the Pitch! page and opt-in to receive updates by company, category, or contact. Journalists can also pitch brands or organizations when they’re looking for sources for a story.
“We want to re-shape the way companies look at PR distribution,” said PitchEngine founder and CEO Jason Kintlzer in an interview with PRNewser.
“Instead of sending press releases to email addresses, we’ll be creating conversations and sharing content with real people, network style. We’re aiming to cutout PR spam and cut-down on emails, voice-mails and other traditional PR outreach methods,” he said.
The partnerships with Technorati and MyMediaInfo give Pitch! massive media databases in which they can ramp up the service.
The service will be priced similar to PitchEngine’s other offerings, with a 30-day free trial, $49 per month at the base level and a professional level at $250 per month. The company plans to begin rolling out beta invites shortly.
It will be interesting to see if the service catches on and replaces tried and true PR practices of email and phone relations. PitchEngine’s social media releases have certainly caught on, as the company counts thousands of clients, including IBM, Zappos, CNN, Xerox and Chrysler.
News: Catalina Island Undergoes Renaissance with Alluring Array of New Attractions and Amenities
AVALON, Calif.—-Santa Catalina Island is undergoing a renaissance thanks to an $11 million revitalization that’s adding an array of alluring activities and amenities to the historic destination. Major changes in store include renovations of the Pavilion Hotel; a makeover for Descanso Beach Club; addition of the Avalon Grille restaurant; and introduction of the Zip Line Eco Tour, Sea Trek Undersea Adventure and GPS walking tours of Avalon.
Dating back to its genesis in 1894, Santa Catalina Island Company is now getting back to the original vision set forth by William Wrigley Jr. with the revitalization of Catalina Island.
“Santa Catalina Island has been a favorite getaway destination for generations of visitors since the late 1800s,” said Brad Wilson, for Santa Catalina Island Company. “But Catalina is not the same place you visited when you were a child, or even compared to two years ago. By maintaining its unique charm and character while at the same time adding distinctive amenities and activities, we’re in the midst of a rejuvenation that will appeal to past visitors while also drawing a new generation of families, adventure seekers, and people wanting a departure from the hurried pace of life on the mainland.”
Changes underway include:
A complete renovation of the 71-room, two-story Pavilion Hotel (formerly the Pavilion Lodge) just 14 steps from the beach. Its upscale design will make use of a huge garden courtyard area by creating private lanais for many rooms, inviting guests to enjoy indoor/outdoor relaxation. The hotel will also offer two luxury suites with breathtaking ocean views, an elegantly landscaped garden sitting area with fire pit, wine & cheese bar, indoor lounge & internet café, and open air ocean-view lounge area near the lobby.
Nestled in a private cove just past the famous Casino Building, the Descanso Beach Club will enjoy a complete transformation with new high-end amenities such as private cabana and chaise lounge rentals. The open-air restaurant will offer daytime and evening dining with fire rings on the beach, and two outdoor bars. Weekly music on the lawn and an expanded beach area will provide for ample enjoyment of the seaside location.
The Descanso Beach Club will also serve as the new activity headquarters, where guests can rent kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, snorkeling & scuba gear, as well as book massage and golf tee times, plus all Discovery Tours. The Beach Club will be the staging area for the new Zip Line Eco Tour and Sea Trek Adventures.
The Avalon Grille will be a new American pub-style restaurant with central bar, on the waterfront in the center of town across from the Green Pleasure Pier. High, open architecture and indoor/outdoor patio seating will seamlessly blend to create an al fresco atmosphere no matter where seated. The menu will include appetizers and entrées paired with a world-class selection of wines, microbrews and cocktails.
Beginning almost 600 feet above Avalon, the new Zip Line Eco Tour will provide a way to see and experience Catalina like never before. The nearly 4,000-foot zip line comprises five separate zips across Descanso Canyon and ends by the seashore at Descanso Beach, with speeds reaching 45 miles per hour and heights of more than 300 feet. Each zip ends at a specially designed platform with spectacular views of the surrounding Island interior and ocean. Platforms will have special interpretative signage highlighting the unique flora and fauna of the island.
Where the Zip Line Eco Tour provides a view of Catalina from above, The Sea Trek Undersea Adventure and Snuba will provide a glimpse from below (no prior diving experience is necessary). Beneath the waves participants may find themselves surrounded by teeming schools of mackerel or anchovies; observe sea lions or a solitary bat ray gliding through the blue water; or even catch a glimpse of an octopus or California Lobster hiding among the rocks.
The GPS Ranger Walking Tour, which meanders through the streets of Avalon, offers visitors their own personal high-tech guide to experience the sights at their own pace. The GPS-enabled multimedia units will lead the way, pointing out landmarks and historical points of interest using audio, video and photos. The tour will accommodate up to six people per unit, and guests will have ample time to complete the tour.
The new Catalina will include these attractions as well as the large array of recreation that has lured generations of visitors to the island, including beach hopping, buffalo safaris, hiking, bicycling, kayaking, wildlife viewing and even walking across the stage in the renowned Catalina Casino where Benny Goodman played before thousands of adoring fans.
For more information, visit www.visitcatalinaisland.com.
How to Move Facebook Fans to Action – Social Media Examiner
Step 1 with social media is setting up your presence. If steps 2 and 3 (or perhaps, steps 2a and 2b) are developing and engaging your audience, the next frontier is getting them to act.
In this Social Media Examiner post Mari Smith provides 13 tips about how to move Facebook Fans to action.
Perhaps you have a Facebook Fan Page and even some fans. But now what? How can you encourage your fans to act and interact?
In my prior post I covered the various sources and types of content you can post on your Facebook fan page. I also talked about the importance of consistent updates.
However, just like the “Field of Dreams” – if you build a fantastic fan page with plenty of quality content, will they come and will they stay?
They will come and they will stay if you give your fans good reason to engage.
Given that over half of Facebook’s 400 million active users log in daily and spend an average of 55 minutes per day on the site, you can get your target audience to spend some of that time getting to know you, your brand, your products and services.
The secret is to create a fan page with the right blend of ingredients that resonates most with your ideal fans. And to ensure they’re made to feel a strong part of your online community.
As mentioned in Part 1, I’ve found there are essentially two components to Facebook fan page engagement: 1) Sharing quality, relevant content and 2) inciting comments. So, here in Part 2, we’ll talk about just how vital comments (and likes, wall posts and @ tags) are to the success of your fan page.
Now that you have a wide variety of regular, quality, relevant content posting on your fan page, here are some ways to get your fans to interact:
1. Ask questions
For status updates, try ending with a question.
2. Use the words “you” or “your”
Use the word “you” often – “What are your thoughts?” “What do you think about xyz?”
3. Keep it short
The easier it is for your fans to read, the more likely they are to respond. Keep your status updates short and simple with one topic. You have up to 420 characters per update, but I recommend about half that for an ideal size. For longer updates, use the Notes app – or write a blog post and update.
4. Post in high-traffic windows
Get to know when your fans are most responsive. Depending on in which part of the world the majority of your fans are, you might want to post between 9:00am and 2:00pm in your timezone.
5. Respond promptly
Do your best to respond to fan questions (as wall posts) as promptly as possible. If you find you can’t keep up with the volume of questions, offer a free teleseminar or webinar where you answer the top questions for your fans. You can do this in the traditional way of having people opt-in to get the phone number so you’ll build your email list at the same time.
6. Address fans by name
Come back and reply often to your fans’ comments – Facebook currently doesn’t have threaded commenting, so I suggest addressing specific fans in your comments as @name. See my comment at the bottom of the screenshot below:
7. Comment yourself
Add your own comment as needed to get the ball rolling. However, don’t step in too soon. I often find that the comments come more freely when you allow your fans to run by themselves initially.
8. Thank your fans
Acknowledge your fans often with simple thanks. Genuine recognition goes a *long* way!
9. Surprise your fans
Don’t be afraid to stray “off topic” from time to time and surprise your fans. In other words, your content doesn’t always have to be directly related to your product or service. You might share an inspirational quote and add your own thoughts, for example.
If you happen to know a fan’s Twitter ID, send a tweet thanking her/him for the comment on your fan page. With a link of course.
10. Use @ tagging
You can tag other fan pages that you’re a fan of and your own friends (along with Groups you belong to and Events you’ve RSVPed for). When appropriate, and used sparingly, @ tags can be a very powerful way to have your post show up on others’ walls, which gives you more exposure and brings more fans or potential fans back to engage.
11. Use the Discussion Board
Give your fans a place to network with one another. Plus, often fans want to do self-promotion. You can encourage these types of activities on a specific discussion thread. Also, when you first launch your fan page, be sure to start 3 to 5 discussion topics so it’s not a blank tab.
12. Send updates to fans
Each tab on your fan page and each discussion thread topic has its own unique URL. To bring fans back to your page to contribute to a discussion and get them more engaged, send out an update with a call to action and specific link. (To find the Update feature, click Edit Page under your image then look for Send Update to Fans on the right of your Admin page.)
13. Monitor insights
If you’re a perfectionist, the goal is to get 5 stars and a perfect 10 score! Facebook uses algorithms to calculate your Post Quality as determined by the percentage of your fans who engage when you post content, calculated on a rolling seven-day basis. The number of stars depends on how your Post Quality compares to similar pages (for example, pages that have a similar number of fans).
The more activity your fan page posts generate, the longer you’ll show up in the News Feed of your fans!
As you build up your fan base, consistently add quality, relevant content and engage your fans. You’ll start to see results that translate into an increase in brand awareness and positive brand sentiment, email and blog subscribers, and of course, sales and paying customers.
The Social Media Experiment has Concluded
Social media is here to stay as an integral component of communication programs; the days of experimental one-offs on Facebook and Twitter are well past. In 2010, companies that have already embraced social media programs will capitalize on the power of online word-of-mouth, and ensure social marketing syncs with broader marketing initiatives.
Is your company still new in the game and not sure which direction to go? This article from eMarketer looks at how to use social media as a marketing and communications tool and the need to define a clear strategy –even if it’s a beginner plan. The sooner you ramp up a cost efficient and effective social media program, the sooner you’ll measure and demonstrate return or growth, and have your execs talking about it in the board room.
eMarketer: Why You Need a Strategy for Social Media
Planning and organization no longer optional
Social media has matured to the point where marketers are no longer asking whether it should be part of their marketing mix but how and where they should participate. A clear strategy for the channel is now necessary.
“The low cost of social media can lull marketers into improvising solutions,” said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the Insight Brief “Five Reasons Why Marketers Need to Have a Social Media Strategy.”
See the rest of the article here.
