Wine Road Northern Sonoma County
6-Month PR Plan
July 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014
Public Relations Goals
- Establish the Wine Road as the ‘go-to’ travel resource for consumer and trade media, highlighting Northern Sonoma County, its member wineries and hotel partners
- Promote the Wine Road website as a comprehensive resource on travel to Northern Sonoma County highlighting its expansive overview of the region, printable maps, travelogues, concierge service, event listings, and more
- Promote the Wine Road as a world-class wine destination through creative packages and deals to help encourage travel to the region
- Garner exposure for Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys as exceptional travel destinations, securing prominent print, television, and online media placements focused around the following themes:
- Honeymoon/Romance
- Adventure and Ecotourism
- Food and Wine Offerings
- Nature and Scenic Beauty
- Secure substantial proactive and reactive media coverage for the Wine Road by inviting key media and influential wine, travel, and lifestyle experts to attend familiarization trips to experience Sonoma firsthand
- Collaborate with other involved agencies such as Sonoma County Vintners Association, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau and AVA associations to leverage new tourism product and market opportunities, garnering key exposure and driving tourism to the region
- Promote the annual Barrel Tasting, Wine & Food Affair, and Winter WINEland events through media alert and press release generation, securing calendar placements and pre- and post-coverage
- Drive media awareness in target drive/fly markets through “Wine Road on the Road” media events
- Invite regional and local media to attend Wine Road sponsored events
- Brainstorm creative news hooks with the Wine Road team for ongoing media exposure
- Support Wine Road’s social media efforts, posting content as applicable
July 2014
- Wine & Food Pairings: Pulling from the Wine Road’s numerous winery members, Wagstaff will pitch stories on the many unique food pairing experience being offered to regional and local outlets, including San Francisco Chronicle, Sunset, 7×7, San Francisco magazine, Wall Street Journal, Bold Italic, New York Times and Wine Enthusiast, among others.
- Brides – Pitch Wine Road and its many wedding and honeymoon offerings for the February/March 2015 “Ideas” issue
- Coastal Living– Pitch a Wine Road itinerary, along with the annual events, for the February 2015 travel issue
- WW to hold monthly agenda meeting
August 2014
- Wine Road’s “DaVintners Code”: More and more, travelers are looking to social media to further define their experience. This month, Wine Road is launching the nuanced treasure hunt that is the DaVintner’s Code, a playful way for visitors to add to their visit. Wagstaff will pitch the promotion to outlets including Huffington Post, Refinery29, Travel + Leisure, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Bold Italic, and Sunset magazine, among others.
- Travel + Leisure – Pitch Wine Road for the January 2015 “Social Media Awards” issue
- WW to hold monthly agenda meeting
September 2014
- Back to School: Education Tasting Experiences: It’s fall and time to head back to school! Wine Road members offer a number of interactive, educational experiences for travelers looking to learn a bit more about the industry while enjoying their time along the Wine Road. Wagstaff will pitch the ‘educational getaway’ trend to regional and national media, positioning applicable Wine Road members as key players in this developing practice. Target outlets will include KGO’s “Dining Around”, 7×7 magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Food Arts, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Thrillist, Sonoma Valley Sun, and others.
- Celebrated Living – Pitch Wine Road for the “Travel” FOB section
- NBC Los Angeles “Worth the Drive” blog – Pitch Editor Alysia Gray Painter on the Wine Road and its annual events
- Distribute long-lead press release for Wine & Food Affair
- Pitch media for individual trips to the region
- WW to hold monthly agenda meeting
October 2014
- New (Eco) Map to the Wine Road: With an annual distribution of over 400,000, the Wine Road map is an industry standard for anyone coming to the region. Surrounding the launch of a new map this October 2014, including a special spotlight on solar-powered members and those with charging stations, Wagstaff will pitch the iconic map and its new eco-friendly focus to outlets including Edible Marin & Wine Country, Restaurant Hospitality, San Francisco Business Times, GreenBiz.com, Treehugger.com, Travel + Leisure, Modern Farmer, Living Green Magazine, and others.
- Bon Appetit – Pitch the numerous food pairing experiences along the Wine Road for the May 2015 “Travel” issue
- Corporate & Incentive Travel – Pitch Wine Road and its various event and meeting venues for the Northern California “Destination Report” in the December issue
- Pitch media for individual trips to the region
- Distribute short-lead press release for Wine & Food Affair
- WW to hold monthly agenda meeting
November 2014
- Wine Road’s Wine & Food Affair: Wine & Food Affair is one of the most exciting and popular events to happen in the region, bringing together endless wine and food pairings at a great price. Wagstaff will work to secure pre- and post-event coverage of the weekend, as well as secure media attendance. Target outlets will include UrbanDaddy, 7×7.com, San Francisco Chronicle, Eater, Where, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Sonoma Valley Sun, and others.
- Don’t judge a wine by its bottle?: Consumers love inventive, playful packaging for their wine purchases. Highlighting the Wine Road members using everything from boxes and bags to jugs and milk bottles, Wagstaff will pitch the new age of bottling to media including Wine Business Monthly, Wine Enthusiast, Bloomberg, San Francisco Business Times, Cheers, Liquor.com, New York Times, Forbes, and more.
- Wine Spectator – Pitch a destination feature on Wine Road highlighting the Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander valleys
- Savuer – Pitch an “Essential Travel Guide” on the Wine Road region highlighting what’s new and happening as well as upcoming events
- Pitch media for individual trips to the region
- Distribute press release for launch of Winter WINELand ticket sales and Wine Road’s Season Pass
- WW to hold monthly agenda meeting
December 2014
- Holidays Along the Wine Road: Holidays in Sonoma County offer a great chance to experience the region with fewer crowds and more access to winemakers and value packages at hotel. Wagstaff will pitch holiday packages from lodging members to outlets including San Francisco magazine, USA Today, Sunset, Afar, Napa/Sonoma magazine, Where magazine, KGO “On the Go with John Hamilton”, Associated Press, and more.
- Conde Nast Traveler – Pitch Wine Road and the area’s many summer-friendly offerings for the April 2015 “Destination: Summer” issue
- Smart Meetings – Pitch Wine Road, including news from lodging members, for the April 2015 feature on the Greater Bay Area
- WW to hold monthly agenda meeting
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