Que Syrah Fine Wine Shop


Que Syrah Logo

  

Company:

Opened in August 2002 by a group of friends and wine lovers, Que Syrah Fine Wine shop focuses on small production winemakers, good producers who may be ignored by larger retailers, filling a need on the north side of Chicago. Sommelier Shebnem Ince came on board within a month of opening and set the shop apart from larger competitors.

Challenges:

Like most small retails stores, Que Syrah didn't have a large marketing budget and Cascade Communications was asked to assist in getting high profile public relations for a minimum budget.

Opportunity:

Que Syrah's general manager, Shebnem Ince, was a well-versed, well-spoken sommelier who hand-picked wines for the store and personally planned unique tastings to attract new customers.

Strategy:

Create a traditional and comprehensive public relations program to create awareness of Que Syrah and put it on the Chicago map of top wine stores, utilizing Ince as a spokesperson.

Campaign:

  • Developed comprehensive press materials kit for the store
  • Wrote detailed media alerts for each, unique tasting
  • Introduce Ince to key journalists who would refer to her on a regular basis
  • Worked with Ince to determine best, most cost-effective marketing alternatives to support PR campaign.

Result:

  • Cascade Communications began working with Que Syrah in July 2004.
  • By October of that year Que Syrah had already reached its sales goal for 2004.
  • By August 2005, the boutique wine shop had doubled its sales goal for the year (before the holiday gift season) and tripled its overall business by the end of 2005.
  • Business increased to a point that Ince was able to hire additional staff during the holiday season to manage orders, the store and assist her in hosting tastings.
  • Exposure in a variety of press led to sales from outside the Chicago area and a regular customer in Washington, DC, who relied on Ince to supply his office parties with high-end wine.
  • It also drove interest from wineries and distributors to host exclusive vintage tastings at Que Syrah.
  • Ince's reputation and experience made her highly regarded by local food and wine writers
  • Media achieved: Chicago Tribune (mention 25 columns), Chicago Sun-Times, Lerner Newspapers, Chicago magazine, Chicago Social, Chicago Sun-Times Red Streak edition, Chicago Tribune's Red Eye edition, Bill Daley's radio show on WGN-AM, "North Shore" magazine and Crain's Chicago Business. The store was also regularly included in the Tribune, Lerner Newspapers and Sun-Times tastings columns.