STRATEGIC FAMILY WINERY BRAND LAUNCH IN THE VUCA (VOLATILITY, UNCERTAINTY, COMPLEXITY, AMBIGUITY) MARKET: THREE CASE STUDIES FROM SERBIAN MARKET
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to extend previous research on brand innovation by uncovering the process of family winery branding in relation to the new product launch in the VUCA market on the case of three Serbian wineries. The study deploys qualitative oriented and empirical approach in presenting a multi-case study. Three semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with owners and/or managers in these three wineries. The results demonstrate that all three family wineries are offering high-end product for the domestic market with smaller one still experimenting with strategic direction of innovating for high-end market while the two larger ones putting focus either on autochthonous grape varieties with eye-cathicng labels or authentic brand identity with strong storytelling. Another important aspect identified is the frugal nature of product launch in the family wineries due to limited resources. The paper presents is among only few studies on new product development in wine business literature.
References
Aimar, C., & Smith, D. K. (2021). VUCA: A management tool for dealing with challenges in changing environments. Global Journal of Entrepreneurship, 5(1), 140–152.
Aldecua, M. J. F., Vaillant, Y., Lafuente, E., & Gómez, J. M. (2017). The renaissance of a local wine industry: The relevance of social capital for business innovation in DOQ El Priorat, Catalonia. Wine Economics and Policy, 6(2), 136–145.
Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a difference a word makes: Understanding threats to performance in a VUCA world. Business horizons, 57(3), 311–317.
Bernhard, F., Hiepler, M., & Engel, F.-X. (2020). Family business sustainability: The intergenerational transfer of social capital and network contacts. In Sustainable Innovation (S. 101–132). Springer.
Cherubini Alves, A., Carneiro Zen, A., & Domingus Padula, A. (2011). Routines, capabilities and innovation in the Brazilian wine industry. Journal of technology management & innovation, 6(2), 128–144.
Doheny, M., Nagali, V., & Weig, F. (2012). Agile operations for volatile times. McKinsey Quarterly, 3, 126–131.
Dressler, M., & Paunovic, I. (2021a). A typology of winery SME brand strategies with implications for sustainability communication and co-creation. Sustainability, 13(2), 805.
Dressler, M., & Paunovic, I. (2021b). Reaching for customer centricity—Wine brand positioning configurations. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(2), 139.
Dressler, M., & Paunovic, I. (2021c). The value of consistency: Portfolio labeling strategies and impact on winery brand equity. Sustainability, 13(3), 1400.
Dreßler, M., & Paunovic, I. (2022). Strategic brand innovation–an explorative study of up-and downstream brand innovation practices in SME wineries. International Journal of Wine Business Research, ahead-of-print.
Du, J., & Chen, Z. (2018). Applying Organizational Ambidexterity in strategic management under a “VUCA” environment: Evidence from high tech companies in China. International Journal of Innovation Studies, 2(1), 42–52.
Gilinsky, A., Santini, C., Lazzeretti, L., & Eyler, R. (2008). Desperately seeking serendipity: Exploring the impact of country location on innovation in the wine industry. International Journal of Wine Business Research, 20(4), 302–320.
Högström, C., Gustafsson, A., & Tronvoll, B. (2015). Strategic brand management: Archetypes for managing brands through paradoxes. Journal of business research, 68(2), 391–404.
Jankulović, A., Stamatović, M., & Čović, D. (2013). Website data as a source for strategic decisions: The case study of winery websites. International May Conference on Strategic Management Students Symposium on Strategic Management, 448.
Kaivo-oja, J. R. L., & Lauraeus, I. T. (2018). The VUCA approach as a solution concept to corporate foresight challenges and global technological disruption. foresight.
Kapferer, J.-N. (2008). The new strategic brand management: Creating and sustaining brand equity long term. Kogan Page Publishers.
Keller, K. L., Parameswaran, M. G., & Jacob, I. (2011). Strategic brand management: Building, measuring, and managing brand equity. Pearson Education India.
Li, H., & O’Connor, A. (2017). The entrepreneurial influence on winery market performance–a mediation perspective. International Journal of Wine Business Research.
Mamula Nikolić, T. (2021). Nova generacija potrošača i lidera u VUCA svetu. Metropolitan University.
Menghini, S. (2015). The new market challenges and the strategies of the wine companies. In Wine Economics and Policy (Bd. 4, Nummer 2, S. 75–77). Elsevier.
Montaigne, E., & Coelho, A. (2012). Structure of the producing side of the wine industry: Firm typologies, networks of firms and clusters. Wine Economics and Policy, 1(1), 41–53.
Mora, P. (2016). Wine Positioning. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Orth, U. R., Lockshin, L., & d’Hauteville, F. (2007). The global wine business as a research field. International Journal of Wine Business Research.
Paunovic, I., Obermayer, N., & Kovari, E. (2022). Online branding strategies of family SME wineries: A Hungarian-German comparative study. Journal of Family Business Management.
Porter, M. E., Ketels, C. H., Miller, K., & Bryden, R. (2004). Competitiveness in rural US regions: Learning and research agenda. Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, Harvard Business School, 1–17.
Stanujkic, D., Karabasevic, D., & Zavadskas, E. K. (2015). A framework for the selection of a packaging design based on the SWARA method. Engineering Economics, 26(2), 181–187.
Till, B. D., Baack, D., & Waterman, B. (2011). Strategic brand association maps: Developing brand insight. Journal of product & brand management, 20(2), 92–100.
Weatherbee, T. G., Sears, D., & MacNeil, R. (2019). Mapping wine business research in the International Journal of Wine Business Research: 2007-2017. International journal of wine business research, 31(4), 591–601.