LAYNE’S WINE GIG PRESENTS
Clickbait Catfight
By Layne V. Witherell
On one level this story is about a wine tour gone bad – really bad. But on another level, it is about all of us and our obsession with trying to connect on social media, or more specifically our obsessions with personal brand building and when those brands collide.
BABBEL
First, let’s look at this language app company that teaches you languages. As soon as you look it up once, it constantly reappears as ads on your phone – no different than any other algorithm generated ad. But, I love the marketing from their ads, such as “customers play out their own unique language speaking fantasies.” There is real meat there.
The origin of the name came from the Tower of Babel, but the dictionary definition is “to talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish or incomprehensible way.” Babbel simply reflects what every modern marketing company aspires to: the signing up of a new generation, the eager, fresh young demographic, while waving bye-bye to those boomers going off on Viking Cruises. Enter Tana Mongeau.
TANA MONGEAU
Tana is a 26-year-old YouTube brand and TikTok sensation influencer with the looks and attire of her idol Paris Hilton. She is an outrageous dynamo with over five million followers. The set-up is simple: Babbel’s goal is to sign her up on a wine tour of the Champagne region of France, with their language app in hand, singing the glories of the region in her newfound language and getting those five million young, eager followers on board.
The problem occurred when neither branded tribe did their homework. As an internet brand, you must continuously post stuff (i.e. content) and in Tana’s case it could be beyond boardroom courteous. Also, not only was she her own brand, but she created a drink brand Dizzy Red Wine. “Made for 20 somethings that want to drink wine on their own terms in their own way.” Whew. Welcome to Tana. An irresistible social media force. Tana is the symbol of the take no prisoners Gen Z generation.
CYNTHIA COUTU: @DELECTABULLES
Coutu is a fifty-something Canadian wine educator and tour director living in France who “empowers women one bottle of Champagne at a time.” The problem for her and Tana begins with her schoolmarmish looks and hyper wine educator attitude, replete with loads of luxury travel industry accolades. She refers to “Women in Wine” no less than FIFTY TIMES on her website.
In their own worlds they are both stars, but those worlds couldn’t be more different. Cynthia’s mantra of women empowering women in the “male dominated” wine industry works for a 50’ish clientele catering to women. Unfortunately for Cynthia, “diversity” has managed to sneak in under the door. Issa Rae, a black woman star and producer is under contract to the Gallo winery to produce her own prosecco. And let’s not forget the first native woman winemaker in Oregon, Brandy Gray (Cherokee and Shawnee). Ironically, indigenous peoples never made wine. It’s a new world out there Cynthia. Then there is Tana.
THE TOUR
For her part, Tana and her cohorts are up drinking Champagne until six am. They aren’t excited about a wakeup call. “I don’t want to learn about fertilization of grass in the middle of France in a town of a population of 300 at 8:34 a.m. after I’ve just walked a mile and a half and there’s yet to be a glass of wine in my hand.”
That’s not well and good, getting her bored and all while listening to the scripted droning of a schoolmarm. Tana’s mistake was posting to her faithful, “I absolutely want her dead.” With Tana fresh outrage is always necessary. When you say that to your half million chomping fans, then repercussions are bound to happen.
Cynthia gets death threats. Wine tour people just don’t get death threats. That is rarely part of the job.
So, Tana loses her sponsor.
Babbel’s statement: “We need to vet people more carefully.”
The website wineberserkers.com continues to light up like a Christmas tree.
The theme here is that each group had their own agenda and didn’t get together to share goals and thoughts. Or, in the famous words of the late Rodney King, “Why can’t we all just get along.” It is, after all, the Internet Age.
Finished with clickbait? Now that we have you thinking outside the app, here are the books to read if you want to explore the people and the grapes.
Charles L. Sullivan, “Zinfandel: A History of a Grape and Its Wine,” University of California Press, 2003. He uncovers the unknown travels and origins of “the mystery grape.” Lots of historic lore out there, but he clears up the story. The search for the true origins of the zinfandel lasted for one hundred years. A very readable account.
“Great Winemakers of California: Conversations with Robert Benson,” Capra Press, 1977. His interview with Paul Draper is priceless. This is simply journalism at its best. He even recommends Ridge wine to drink while you are reading the chapter.
“The Wine Press and the Cellar by E.H.Rixford,” 1883. If you want to eventually turn off or throw away your phone then go on a quest for this book. This is not light reading, but if you are caught up on your chemistry, he takes you inside 19th century Bordeaux chateaus. You can spend $2,500 for the original edition. You can buy a whole lot of Ridge wine for that money. Paul Draper, at 86, is retired and lives close to the winery. The accolades keep piling up.
