VernonGirl

How important is a sign? Duteau Creek's Boil Water Notices need marketing help.

When you have something as important as a boil water notice to announce to drive-by traffic, do you place it on a tiny blue sign with a hand-written note? The Regional District of North Okanagan does. That's why today, I wrote them a little note with a marketing tip:

Dear Renee:

Thank you very much for the boil water notice by email.

Some feedback for you about the road sign by Butcher Boys.....

It is very small, very hard to read and very easy to miss.

Many times, I come off of Pleasant Valley Road and turn right onto 48th Avenue without even seeing your boil water sign. It looks like a garage sale sign. It's in blue. It should be in Red or Orange.

It seems to me that something as important as a boil water notice should be on a larger sign. Even Caesar's Pizza pays someone to hold their signs up so they get attention. And, I'm sure it only costs them 8 bucks an hour. Surely, our health is worth a larger sign.....or a sign walker.

Thanks for listening.

Cheers,

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm not ranting about this to be political today. But, I do have a bee in my bonnet about this sign. In marketing, your message should be portrayed in a medium that reflects the severity of the situation or at least shows respect to those who see it.

Often, emergency or construction signs are in bright orange, bright red, or bright yellow to get your attention. Shouldn't "boil your water" or "don't drink the water" be on a bright sign?

A sign that is barely visible and scribbled with illegible information says, "Hey, if you happen to see this sign, great, but if you don't who cares. We're just putting it out here because someone told us to. We have to cover our butts. We don't really care if you see it, or if you can read it. That's not the point."

In other neighbourhoods (not the North BX area where I live) you see them at many intersections. A small sign is probably okay in that case. But at a majour intersection that accesses a large rural area, a larger more easy to read sign is an absolute must.

I have another problem with this sign too. It says "Duteau Creek." It should say, "If you live in these neighbourhoods: ie: North BX, Foothills, this means you!" When we moved here five years ago, we didn't know our water source was Duteau Creek. Most tourists wouldn't know either.

Here is a picture of the sign from about ten strides away. I put my purse beside it to give it some perspective. Now, when you are driving by this sign at 60 km/hour when passing, or not passing, another vehicle, do you think you would see it? I've seen sandwich signs better than this. And those were sandwiches that I could eat!

 

What do you think about this sign?

Please post a comment on this blog on my VernonGirl.com site.

Thanks for reading.

Courtenay Pitcher, In Good Health (so far)

Intoxicating Liquors Act Doesn’t Prevent Gray Monk Estate Winery From Marketing Online

Despite an eighty-two year old law that prevents cross-provincial shipping of wine in Canada, Gray Monk Estate Winery in Okanagan Centre, British Columbia is focusing more marketing dollars to Twitter, Facebook and on-line publications and cutting back on traditional marketing like magazines and newspapers.

Steven Heiss of Gray Monk Estate Winery says, “We are changing our focus. It’s instant, you don’t have to wait to get the information on line. Plus there is the green side of it too, saving some paper and ink.”

A prohibition law from 1928 called “The Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act” means that it is illegal to cross-province ship wine (and other liquor) unless it is authorized by the receiving province’s liquor board. “If you look it up, you’ll have a good laugh.” says Heiss. The law didn’t used to be a problem until recently when the Alberta Liquor Board started making threats against BC Wineries. So Heiss is watching WineLaw.ca for updates on a solution, which doesn’t seem to be in sight.

“It’s a pain for tourists” he says. Tourists usually visit the winery, purchase wine and then, in the past, Gray Monk would ship it home to them so they didn’t have to crate it around on their trip.

Although shipping is up in the air, and this does effect on-line marketing, Heiss is working with a Kamloops marketing company to develop a new website, brochure and marketing plan. One topic that came up during strategizing was social media.

Now, they have a Gray Monk Estate Winery Facebook fan page and  have jumped onto Twitter (@GrayMonkWinery). Heiss jokes, “Even our Sales Rep Rainer Wilkins was asking about Twitter." Heiss has given Rainer access to the account to make updates also. 

“The hardest part is what to put on there. I always think to myself, nobody wants to know about that. I already know it, so I don’t think it will be interesting.” Heiss is watching what notable wine and food writers are tweeting like: @NatalieMaClean, Jim Martin (@MetroLiquor) and Tony Gismondi  (@TheSpitter). “I’m finding it interesting.” he says.

Gray Monk Estate Winery plans to participate in local on-line tourism marketing through Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (@totamedia) and Tourism Kelowna. 

Many traditional marketing initiatives will continue. Chef Willi Franz (above) of the on-site Grapevine Restaurant is preparing a list of events for Gray Monk Estate Winery’s participation in the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival Apr 30-May 9, 2010. Those events will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Plus they will attend the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival (delayed this year due to the Olympics) on April 23, 2010.

When I asked Steven Heiss for his official title, he said, “That’s a good question. Janitor to President as my dad would say. Or you could say Sales and Distribution.”

That’s a very humble statement from a third generation member of a very successful and respected wine-making family. His parents Trudy and George Heiss established the Gray Monk Estate Winery in 1972 and his grandparents started a vineyard, first, up the road. The family produces some of the world's finest wines from a breath-taking fifty acre vineyard overlooking Okanagan Lake. The Grapevine Restaurant has a seating capacity of 50 patrons. There is an on-site gift shop and wine tours. It seems to me, they have plenty interesting stuff to tweet about.

Thanks for reading!

Courtenay Pitcher, lover of anything Gray Monk and wine writer wannabe

Follow me on Twitter @vernongirl