Magazine: The pyramid principle

The Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) has been coordinating Hungarian wine and culinary marketing since 2016. In June 2017 the agency changed the way this field is managed and our magazine asked Zsombor Gál, head of department responsible for wine marketing, about the new system.

Zsombor Gál
head of department responsible for wine marketing
Hungarian Tourism Agency

How does the new wine marketing strategy fit into Hungary’s image communication strategy?

The Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) is working on making wine part of the country’s tourism brand. Since 2016 our agency has been coordinating the tasks related to the national wine marketing strategy and supervising the implementation. MTÜ’s new concept is based on the idea that wine forms an integral part of the country’s gastronomy: wine and food offer a complex culinary experience together. Our objective is to create experience chains in various regions that can make people travel there.

What does repositioning Hungarian wines mean? What is the unified Hungarian brand style?

My father, winemaker Tibor Gál once said: wine is the world’s best travel catalogue. It has got everything a country can offer. Hungary’s 22 wine regions have their own traditional styles, which need to be presented in a well-structured system. This is the reason why MTÜ laid down a short-term marketing communication concept in cooperation with the National Council of Wine Communities (HNT). Its main goal is to put Hungarian wines in a position where consumers choose them consciously.

What are the biggest differences between earlier and the new wine marketing concept?

The collective brand type character makes it necessary to communicate in a unified fashion: Hungarian wines should be presented as youthful, dynamic, focused on people and cool! Wine is a complex product that has its own identity.

How important is it for winemakers in a given region to cooperate? Should wine region level brand building and marketing be done? Can MTÜ support processes like this in any way?

The value pyramid featured in the wine marketing communication concept serves exactly this purpose. This pyramid is a hierarchy of regional, local and vineyard selected wines, which consists of four tiers. Hungary’s wine communication is built on this pyramid. At the top of the pyramid we find Tokaji Aszú. Vineyard-selected wines make up the second tier – these are the flagship wines of the best wine regions. On the third level of the pyramid we find those wines which have close ties with a given town or village and are similar in style. The fourth level is regional wines: products such as Balaton wine that carries some kind of regional identity.

Why do you think it is a good idea to spend a lot of money on promoting Hungarian wines abroad? If this communication is successful, which wines will we be able to export in large quantities?

If the prestige of Hungarian wine grows, Hungary becomes more popular. We want to turn Hungarian gastronomy into a brand in the heads of tourists.

What were your experiences at the Wine Roadshow that took place in July? Were winemakers cooperative in thinking collectively? Did any great idea came up that fits into the paradigm shift in wine marketing?

A very intense conversation was started within the framework of the six stops of the Wine Roadshow. We visited every wine region, presented the new marketing communication concept and discussed its most important elements with winemakers. Participants had the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas. There was great interest in the value pyramid and in the action plan for creating a unified image for Hungarian wines.

How is the Budapest Wine Bar Tour organised? How can a bar or restaurant join the programme? Can they receive some kind of financial support? What did you experience at this year’s event?

The Budapest Wine Bar Tour was established to put the diversity and richness of Hungarian wine regions in the spotlight. Our main objective is to convince those who plan to go on a holiday to visit a wine region, to go to a winery. This year no less than 28 Budapest locations joined the programme. //