Associate Professor, Joe Barth and Assistant Professor, Statia Elliot recently published an article in the Journal of Product and Brand Management. The article, “Wine Label Design and Personality Preferences of Millennials,” discusses the purpose of the study Barth and Elliot conducted to explore the design and brand personality of wine labels and their appeal to the millennial market – the newest segment of wine consumers.

The study methodology included two components:  an experimental design of wine label creations by millennial students of a university beverage management course; and a survey of over 400 millennial consumers to assess wine label design and brand personality preferences. Their findings revealed that wine labels created by millennials tend to be very non-traditional in terms of the image selected, name of wine, color choice and overall label design. New wine consumers in the 19 to 22 year-old category are much more likely to select wine based on package features, such as name and image, than based on product features, such as producer and country-of-origin. It is evident that spirited, up-to-date brand personalities appeal to this generation.   

The study will prove useful in targeting the millennial market which is quickly becoming a large, important segment new to wine consumption. The experimental creation of wine label designs by millennials themselves provides a unique insight in terms of the new, and somewhat hedonistic, images that appeal specifically to this growing market.