Red, white and green: environmental communication on wine bottle labels from New York's Hudson River Region

Abstract

PurposeNew York is the third top wine producing state in America. Competitive wine production across the United States has challenged New York winemakers to secure a place in the domestic market in order to support the long-term viability of the local economy. As businesses of agriculture become increasingly disrupted by the changing natural environment and consumer demand for sustainable products grows, vintners may distinguish themselves through the production and promotion of strategic initiatives on wine bottle labels.Design/methodology/approachFueled by the distinct fields of green marketing and environmental communication, this research investigates the promotion of sustainable practices on wine bottle labels. Through the methodology of content analysis, this project examines all 13 wineries on the Shawangunk Wine Trail located in the Hudson River Region of New York.FindingsThe findings from this study show that less than half of wineries in the sample selection employ environmental marketing as a communication strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThis research carries practical, business and social implications for the local Hudson River Region, the larger New York wine industry, and any organization looking to remain viable in a competitive marketplace.Originality/valueThis paper reveals the potential for the Hudson River Region wine industry to promote its “distinctive” and “innovative” environmental philosophy of “terroir driven and sustainably produced” winemaking on wine bottle labels to differentiate themselves in a crowded and expanding marketplace and build a Basis of Legitimacy with consumers.

A replication and extension of wine retail consumer purchase patterns: double jeopardy and duplication of purchase laws

“…Finally, the larger wine business community can take note of the value of regionality and/or region of origin effects in these data. There is a growing body of literature on the value and limitations of pursuing a marketing strategy that is based on communicating a wine’s region of origin (Chamorro et al , 2015; Famularo et al , 2010; Visconti, 2021). As point 5 outlines from the data set, a regional partition in the wine retail environment can be beneficial for brands, but the impact thereof was stronger for those brands with better market penetration.…”

Editorial: Toward an EDI agenda in corporate communications

“…The topic of environmentalism and sustainability does not need a special introduction or an outline; it is enough to read about natural disasters and climate change in the mainstream media, as well as observe how life is changing around us, to know this is a relevant and an emerging topic. In CCIJ, topics covered so far include an analysis of UN sustainable goals (van de Broek, 2021), sustainability disclosure (Correia et al , 2021), environmental communication (Visconti, 2021) and sustainability advertising (Lee and Lin, 2022). We will continue to publish papers tackling environmental affairs and calling for a change in the way organisations do business and communicate, to make our contribution towards a more sustainable world.…”