If you live in the Winelands or are in any way involved with school sport, you will know that it is Interschools week in Paarl. This sporting rivalry started in the early 1900s and has become so significant that rather than the original sport derby, it is now a cultural event. Much more than scholars competing, the whole town is involved and alumni of the participating schools are still very much part of the experience. “Old Boys” events and even rugby games for fourty-somethings are very much part of the activities. It made me think of the tradition of an Old Boys Club.
While the Old Boys of Interschools are widely regarded as very positive for the sense of community, tradition and support they represent, the original concept of “Old Boys Clubs” often had a more negative association. Usually centered around a workplace, these clubs were male-dominated and often quite exclusive and marginalising, especially towards women and minority groups. While – like with many other things – the original concept for the grouping might have been sound, it often took on a different persona and negative elitist sentiments.
Clubs have a wide and varied meaning. Much more than old boys on leather couches, sipping on expensive glasses or nightlife culture with music and dancing, we are all familiar with book clubs, golf clubs, country clubs, yacht clubs and dinner clubs. They may be social, professional and of course sport or hobby related and their reason for being is usually that they provide an opportunity for likeminded people to get-together, network and develop.
Do you belong to a club? Is there still a space for clubs in today’s hurried life or are we just familiar with the idea because of older movies? Is this organised style of “relaxing” in tune with current consumer behaviour? Time and money seem to be the predominant reasons why people don’t belong to clubs as religiously as they used to, but they have found a new way to connect – online. Online communities offer a similar environment where individuals with shared interests can interact. An online environment can be less discriminating and intimidating because it is more anonymous, but at the same time it can be less authentic. They might, however, be better for those who are introverted or not as social and definitely easier to manage timewise.
A golf club is quite important to me and I hope it will not go out of fashion soon, but another type of club that often features in my life, is a wine club. I’ve always found the concept intriguing. Initially wine clubs optimised the wine experience for a generation of wine drinkers who were all about knowledge and prestige. The wine club gave them wine insights, access to special releases and help with wine investments. When wine became more of a lifestyle product, wine clubs supported a focus on value and variety. Special offers and monthly compilations made it affordable, convenient and interesting for wine drinkers – especially in the days before online wine shopping and wine apps. But in a world where you can find tasting notes and opinions as soon as you type in the brand and vintage, add it to your cart with a single click, get a recipe to pair with it and a winemaker video explaining all that is special about the wine, what value would a wine club still offer?
Consumer trends tell us that people are looking for exclusivity, choice, customisation and unique experiences. The modern wine club has become more integrated with physical experiences and events as well as online support, convenient shopping, tasting and pairing advice, discounts and free delivery. But these alone might not be intriguing enough. I think the allure might be in having the option to personalise – whether it comes to the actual wine or the wine experience. To have access to exclusive products or events. To choose how you like to communicate, pay, receive your purchases, etc. The VVIP treatment.
This makes sense from a customer perspective, but what would make the wine club and its VVIP membership worthwhile for the wine estate? Will the traditional model of a fee or minimum spend still work today or are we considering stages of engagement? How do you measure the loyalty that gives a customer another level of importance and privilege? Or perhaps this is not at all the way one should think about the value of loyal customers. Perhaps brands are rather considering the value of data and targeted marketing?
The value of your book club or dinner club might be in socialising a little with likeminded people – whether it is in real life or online. A sport club might be a competitive environment, while a sport supporter’s club is predominantly organised from the fan’s perspective and although it might be recognised by the team, it is usually a platform for fans to connect and support. But a Brand club, whether it is wine or not, need to find a balance between the incentive for customers and the reward for the brand itself and that might be a little trickier than one would imagine.