The Fifty Shades of Grey Wine turns E. L. James’ popular trilogy into something that could become more of a guilty pleasure.
The clever marketing move by E. L. James and Random House launched in September 2013, introducing bottles of red and white wine that have been transformed with more sensual titles like “Red Satin” and “White Silk.” Red Satin is a 2010 mix of Petite Sirah and Syrah, which has been aged in both old and new seasoned French oak barrels, while its white counterpart is a blend of Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc.
Branding on the bottles is quite minimal, but it works in this case. The white wine is naturally packaged in a clear glass and the red is contained in a tinted bottle, which is typical, but it also lends itself to the book’s light and dark themes. Bottles of both wines can be purchased from the Fifty Shades of Wine website, for about $18 each, or $215 for a case of 12.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Sensuous Literary Wines
- The trend of creating branded wines inspired by popular books or films opens up opportunities for disruptive innovation in the wine industry.
- Guilty Pleasure Marketing
- The clever marketing tactic of associating wine with popular novels or films allows for disruptive innovation in the realm of promotional strategies.
- Minimalistic Branding
- The minimalist branding approach used for the Fifty Shades of Grey Wine presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for wine companies to create wines with simplistic and elegant packaging.
Where This Applies
- Book Inspired Wines
- The production of wine brands inspired by popular books, like the Fifty Shades of Grey Wine, provides a disruptive innovation opportunity for wineries looking to tap into the literary market.
- Promotional Product Industry
- The integration of branded wines into promotional campaigns, as seen with the Fifty Shades of Grey Wine, introduces disruptive innovation opportunities for companies in the promotional product industry seeking unique and attention-grabbing promotional items.
- Wine Packaging Industry
- The minimalist and thematic packaging approach used for the Fifty Shades of Grey Wine sets a disruptive innovation precedent for wine packaging companies to create distinctive and visually appealing designs for their clients.
