Marketing Pinotage to South African student millennials

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relevance of expert opinions as a marketing tool for Pinotage amongst young South African student millennials by means of sensory hedonic testing. Design/methodology/approach Sensory hedonic testing was used because it is necessary to examine the extent to which extrinsic cues influence a wine’s intrinsic merit, as this can influence future purchase decisions. Thus, it combines marketing factors and sensory science and explores the sensory liking of food products by consumers. A total of 126 South African student millennial consumers were analysed. Findings The results confirm that expert opinions are an effective marketing tool. While positive expert opinions did not reinforce perceived quality for already generally liked wines, they increased perceived quality for wines that were not liked. Female student millennials specifically seem to be influenced by expert opinions and packaging, even though they show a relative dislike for Pinotage under blind tasting. These results are useful in the design of marketing strategies. Research limitations/implications Because of the chosen research approach, it may be difficult to generalize the research results. However, future research could apply this methodology to investigate the perceived quality of wine and other food products in different countries. Furthermore, replicating this study could provide interesting comparative results. Originality/value Little is known about the liking for Pinotage wines by young South African consumers or about the cues that make them respond positively to marketing.