Maraleze,
an original born-and-bred of the Paarl wine region, heads up the dynamic sales
and marketing team of Boland Cellar as one of the country’s oldest and
internationally celebrated wineries. Backed by an impressive academical and
marketing career, including degrees in Psychology and Business Management and
gaining valuable experience in the sales and marketing teams of Naspers and Pep
Stores as two of South Africa’s leading publishing and retail giants, Maraleze best
describes her decision to enter and be involved with the wine industry: “ It
was never a calculated decision … but happened by luck. I suspect that I’ve
stayed for as long as I have because of an amazing product that has managed to
be re-invented through generations, has staying power and is never without
challenge. Best of all is the fact I love wine, whether I work in the industry
or not.”
She
thrives on the intricate and often unexplored challenges posed by modern-day
and purpose-driven brand building. “Boland Cellar, respecting traditional and
honest values, has over many generations built-up and earned the brand respect
and loyalty of many national and international wine consumers. However, we now
also face a completely new and ever-changing set of consumer values and demands
… further extrapolated by the growing influence of technology and especially
the trend in online consumption, be it in content or product.”
Maraleze
believes there are various important wine marketing trends that will strongly
emerge in the next few years. “Marketing departments will become more tech
savvy and we will see developers forming part of the ‘mix’, rather than just
the traditional skills set such as campaign and brand managers. As technology
becomes more affordable and data becomes easily available, we will be able to
better understand the consumer and be less reliant on the opinions of a select
few. This means that we will be able to truly start creating products based on
market demand and provide the kind of support that makes life easier for the
buyer, be that the consumer or trade partner.” She emphasises that brand
champions and winemakers will more and more face the undeniable reality that “…
the challenge is of course the discrepancy in timing – grapes take years to
grow and reach their full potential, while consumer trends change much quicker.
So planning for what might happen 5 years down the line might not be viable 5
years later. Consequently, there will be a huge challenge for grape growers.”
Maraleze
further suspects that consumers will look for more choice in future but that
they will seek out simpler ways of making those choices. She adds that the
latter will substantially change the consumer journey within the retail
environment, regardless of whether it is in a physical or online environment.
Strong brands will play a pivotal role.
Asked
about her fascination for the many aspects surrounding successful brand
building in the 21st century where both the needs and aspirations of
different generations such as the influential and critical younger millennials
and the older loyal baby boomers with their meaningful discretionary spend have
to be weighed and considered, Maraleze shares some interesting views. “It has
been said many times we need to create an experience for the consumer, but we
have to figure out what that really means, because there is no blueprint and it
largely depends on the intrinsics of your brand. Execution is key to building
successful brands and brands are often able to produce more than what they are
able to support. So it is important to find the balance between what you are
able to support, while growing your brands.”
Maraleze
concludes by observing that there is a tendency by brand builders to over-complicate
what they do. “I believe that central to any solution is having a deep
understanding and sensitivity to the markets’ needs, desires and requirements
whether it is the consumer who picks a product off a retail shelf or a business
partner at the board room table. Sometimes the only way to achieve this is to
aim narrow, rather than try to reach every possible opportunity. Consumers are
clever people, not data points … be honest, be sincere and own who you are and
what you stand for.”