VineBuzz

Every industry has emerging brands struggling to break out of their confines. Bold ideas in cross-breeding can propel their escape from those bonds.

Witness the case of The Parlotones, a rock band from Johannesburg. Their popularity is driven by the energy and passion that they pour into the live performances and video productions of their anthems. Their lyrical genius screams with hits like "Push Me to the Floor" (don't give up till I'm begging you for more). Audiences jump to their feet, wave their hands high in the air, and fall all over each other in the aisles.


While The Parlotones most deservedly enjoy phenomenal popularity on several continents, they have yet to ascend the charts stateside.  So they have unleashed their talents on the wine industry to extend their brand, cross-breeding their tune tribe across taste tribes (I am tempted to whip up an infographic of this union), naming two blends with the titles of two of their hit songs.  Recently they rocked the Napa Valley Opera House with these songs and wines, to the wild appreciation of everyone attending.

"Giant Mistake" rolled out in 2009 as a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (54%), Shiraz (23%), Pinotage (12%), and Cabernet Franc (11%). In South Africa and in Germany, these wines are sold at Woolworth stores. Es ist eine verdammte Völker 'Wein, ready for most palates to drink right away. Hideous wine snob that I am, I'd give it another two years of bottle age if there is any more of it that I could stash in my cellar.

In 2010, two more wine labels were released:

Push Me to the Floor is a melange de blancs - Chenin blanc (60%), Gewürztraminer (15%), Chardonnay (20%,) and Viognier (5%). I'll have to try it, as I was all red that night at the Napa Valley Opera House. 

We Call this Dancing - a Rosé wine blend of Wellington Pinotage (55%), Wellington Shiraz (25%), and a balance---a blend of 30 different varietals from the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus (20%).

These wines tour with The Parlotones now, and will begin to show up in U.S. grocery and "big box" stores like Walmart before long (my prediction).

This is their story. This is their Life Design. They drink from the cup of life, now filled with their own wine.

The Parlotones also have their own:

Food/wine/song pairings
"perks" at restaurants synchronized with tour dates
a GigaByte branded laptop

a designer running shoe (though it looks more like a basketball shoe to me)

 and a meal from an international food retailer.

What will the brand and media managers/analysts in other enterprises and industries learn from The Parlotones?  I'll be digging into the trends and finding the insights with the help of phenomenal resources like VinTank Social Connect.

Many lessons will be drawn from how The Parlotones brand continues to morph as it resonates and riffs off the global social ecosystem. The rest of the world will be inspired to re-think their identities and their strategies.

Perhaps airlines will customize routes with packaged wine and song on their libation and entertainment menus.  We may see co-branding work in automotive, telecommunications, financial, insurance, pharma, health, other apparel, consumer electronics or packaged goods.

We'll be hearing and tasting more from The Parlotones soon, and finding out how their creativity can inspire others.