The concept of Terroir has been a constant thought in my mind since I first discovered the concept

It summed up the original vision we had for Intentional to help brands articulate and communicate what makes them unique

Terroir refers to the core winemaking elements and the sentiment that no 2 wine plots can produce the same tasting wine

You can go on a Wine Tasting within a 5km radius trying all the same Pinot Noir variety and each will have a unique taste profile

I believe the same is true of brands & marketing

& yet unlike winemakers who try to lean into this for how they differentiate

as a marketing fraternity we try and fit in or create something that we personally like rather than respecting the ground of where it was made

While they are elements that a Winemaker can adapt to

The Climate, Soil, Topography and Water/rain are going to impact the flavour and profile of the wine more than anything else that is done - I consider these the brand elements

And then from Harvest to Bottling are like the campaigns or activations that run - they can tweak the core and create editions and varitians - but they cannot change the fundamentals

In the same for a Brand -

Climate & Soil - the profile of its origin story where it was first made, who made it, why it was created

Topography - what the first product was, was it a disruptor, a me to, an innovation

Water/Rain - the time it entered the market, competitor set

And yet so many campaigns ignore these and focus so heavily on the Ageing & Bottling

In many ways modern marketing campaigns seek to ignore the fundamentals of the Vineyard - that while a cool climate, with low aeration and high rainfall is their dna, they create 'reasons to believe' or hide behind the 'features' of the brand rather than lean into what makes them unique

USPs, SMPs, Positoning X+Y maps have always been crucial in differentiating your brand - entering this world of AI and to ignore what makes you unique is truly commercial handicapping

While others with no provenance or history or story may be able to prompt their way to disrupt a category _ I honestly believe the brands that will be enduring over this next revolution of business & society are those that learn to tell their stories in a way that connects with their customers better than anyone else

We have a lot to look at and be thankful for the fundamentals of marketing all well studied

The following posts will explore how to lean further into what makes you unique to continue to grow and defend what you have built in this ai era