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Quality From Forest to Bottle
In the late 1990s, winemakers, frustrated by natural cork quality problems, began turning to alternative closures for their wine. The challenge for Cork Supply USA (CSU) was to differentiate itself from a vast array of poor quality competitors producing cork in the same, antiquated style they had for centuries. CSU bucked 200 years of tradition by investing in and gaining control of 12 percent of the total Portuguese cork forests, making it the first supplier to achieve full vertical integration. This allowed CSU to control the quality of every aspect of production from forest to bottle.
Brown·Miller Communications saw this move as the perfect opportunity to not only set CSU apart from its competition and establish it as the industry’s quality leader but also to reposition and reintroduce CSU to its customers. Through a four-pronged approach that included the redevelopment of CSU’s marketing tools, message training for its entire staff, aggressive media story development and direct outreach to key audiences that influence its customers (trade journals and wine consumers), Brown·Miller Communications positively distinguished CSU from its competitors. Every industry trade publication covered CSU’s leadership role with articles addressing the company’s innovative new Quality From Forest to Bottle program. Despite the declining cork market, our comprehensive marketing program helped CSU increase sales by $39 million (16 percent) — a clear indication that customers now differentiate CSU from its competitors.
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