International Sherry Week,the world’s largest celebration of Sherry Wines, has just been named the Best Digital and Social Media Campaign at the 2020 Drinks International Awards. This marks the second occasion on which the global event, organised by the Sherry Wines Regulatory Council,is granted the accolade after first winning the award in 2015.
International Sherry Week’s use of social media managed to get events happening simultaneously in over 35 countries, all with one thing in common: showcasing Sherry Wines. Ranging from wine-tasting and pairing events to tapa crawls or cocktail-mixing demonstrations, the events were organised by bar and restaurant owners, hotels, wineries, universities, wine clubs and collectors from around the world. At the touch of a click, the events could be registered free-of-charge at https://www.sherry.wine/es/sherryweek. Their ge0localisation on a virtual map allowed #sherrylovers anywhere to know which events would be held near and far and share that info with their friends on social media via the #sherryweek hashtag.
This international wine event clearly demonstrated the unifying capacity Sherry Wines have in bringing winelovers together from every corner of the world.
International Sherry Week’s premier edition in 2014 attracted participants from places like China, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, Taiwan or the Ukraine, with no one wanting to miss out on the Sherry Wine celebration. Over the years, the list has only continued to grow to include participants from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Peru, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The annual wine marketing awards hosted by the prestigious British publication, Drinks International , acknowledges those marketing campaigns that have achieved outstanding results in terms of reach, impact and promotion of wine while underlining the importance of digital marketing in heightening brand recognition.
In the Best Digital Campaign category, the award is granted on the basis of actions taking place on digital media which successfully implement a viral campaign encouraging users to share content on social media and, as a result, significantly increasing the brand’s web traffic.
International Sherry Week, held from Nov. 4-10, 2019, drew a record number of participating countries (40) as well as a record-breaking number of followers on social media.
Organised in conjunction with Chelsea Consulting & Co., the aim of International Sherry Week is to promote the wine’s Designation of Origin worldwide. So obviously Spain, as the cradle of Sherry Wines, is where the greatest number of events was held. Over 1,100 tastings, pairings and promotional events in Spain allowed participants to discover the versatility and unique character of these DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) certified wines, acknowledged with the Seal of Quality.
Over 7,000 posts were uploaded with the #SherryWeek hashtag. As a result, the impact was huge, reaching a potential 25 million social media users. (Source: Tweetbinder). On Instagram alone, #SherryWeek posts generated 36,738 likes.
César Saldaña, Director General of the Sherry Wine and Vinegar Regulatory Council, affirmed that “ISW has become a key part of our communication plan as it allows us to remain in close contact with thousands of winelovers and wine professionals from around the world, all of whom are eager to share their passion for our wines. Not only that, but it also helps us identify a huge number of creative ways to share the enjoyment of Sherry”.
In addition, the week prior to the celebration, the number of posts on social media started to go viral with over 1,000 events registered that week as a result of all the comments posted by followers.
Instagram stories also played a particularly important role in this last edition, providing significant coverage of Sherry Week. The @SherryWinesJerez Instagram account reposted over 500 stories from participants worldwide.
Last but not least, the Sherry Wine tasting on Twitter, #SherryTT, was a huge success with over 700 tweets in just one hour, generating a total potential impact on 4 million users of social media. For the first time ever, two participants broadcast their tastings live on YouTube and Instagram.
REGULATORY COUNCIL OF THE DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN “JEREZ-XÉRÈS-SHERRY” AND “MANZANILLA-SANLÚCAR DE BARRAMEDA”
The Consejo Reguladorfor D.O. “Jerez-Xérès-Sherry” and “Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda” is the regulatory body that oversees these Andalusian designations, comprised by 1,750 winegrowers and some 100 wineries located in the Jerez Region (“Marco de Jerez”) in the southern Spanish province of Cádiz. Sherry Wines are produced in an extraordinarily unique way, offering many different varieties with genuine character. Sherry Wines have been exported for centuries under brand names that have, in themselves, become authentic icons of Spanish wine culture the world over.
For more details, please contact
QMS Comunicación
+34 913 431 286/87
Rosa Soria
+34 679 70 07 62
Diana Pérez
dianaperez@qmscomunicacion.com
+34 690 65 05 98 [Cuadro de texto: El contenido de la presente campaña promocional representa únicamente la opinión de su autor y es responsabilidad exclusiva del mismo. La Comisión Europea no asume ninguna responsabilidad por el uso que pudiera hacerse de la información que contiene.]
