Decanter has this interesting story of South African wine brand Stormhoek.
What is in no doubt is that vast numbers of people post and read blogs, and Stormhoek decided to exploit this by offering bloggers a personalised free bottle to taste and comment on.
Around 100 bottles of the Stormhoek Shiraz 2004 and Sauvignon Blanc 2005 – which both retail at the £5-£6 mark – were sent out via blogger Hugh Macleod and his website gapingvoid.com in May 2005, in Europe only.
The result, says Stormhoek spokesman Nick Dymoke Marr, is that the wine now has a 19% share of the over-£5 South African wine market, and sales went from 50,000 cases in 2004 to 100,000 last year.
The popularity of the brand has also earned it listings in Sainsburys, Asda, Oddbins, Majestic, Waitrose and Somerfield.
The campaign has now moved on, with Stormhoek canvassing the views of bloggers on everything from bottle colour to label design. 'We have had over 100 suggestions,' Dymoke Marr said.
Here's the full notes of the interview (thro' Johnnie moore)