Good Fucking Wine, a company based in New Jersey, was crowned the Wine Category Winner of WSWA’s 2021 Brand Battle. This brand holds a unique, mature name, focused on delivering wine that is edgy, affordable, enjoyable, and unpretentious. The owner, Scott Maybaum has been in the wine and spirits industry for many years, recently shifting from retail to production. His label is winning over consumers with a fun, provocative brand, good wine and growing community.
GFW will compete in the Championship event on September 14.
To learn more about GFW’s founding and success, Michael Bilello, WSWA’s Senior Vice President of communications and marketing, as well as WSWA Access craft program manager, interviewed Scott Maybaum.
MICHAEL BILELLO: What led you to start this brand? Walk us through the initial idea on paper to launch and where you are today?
SCOTT MAYBAUM: I was in a state of transition in my career, between retailing and brand creation. My years as a retailer gave me a real sense of what people want, what stands out, and what needs aren’t currently being fulfilled.
Some changes made by a Supreme Court ruling regarding profanity and trademarks opened a possibility that wouldn’t have been available a few years ago. I saw the opportunity and took the risk.
We are filling a niche in the wine industry that wasn’t being filled from a retail perspective. We’ve created a brand unlike any other and I had a strong feeling that it would resonate with consumers and be successful. It’s a real wine for real people and we believe it truly delivers on the promise of its name.
MB: What’s the growth plan for this brand?
SM: Initially our plan is to continue to satisfy our customers and find the right distribution partners. We intend to support those distributors with ‘work withs’, industry advertising, swag and other ways to help sell this brand and reach new customers.
There has been interest in specific states via our online sales and we know where the consumers are who want GFW. There are customers literally all over the country who are comfortable with our brand and are looking to buy it. So, we really want to partner with distributors who can embrace our brand and together, help us build it.
MB: How do you overcome digital marketing challenges with a provocative brand name? Can you tell us about your experience there? Has it been difficult on social media? How are you building a following?
SM: It has been challenging for us because our name does prohibit us from some advertising platforms. We have active Instagram and Facebook accounts; however, our brand name violates their profanity clause for advertising, so all our social media growth has been 100% organic.
We’re taking advantage of working with influencers, not just in the wine industry, but also with comedians and radio personalities.
We get a fair amount of user-generated content, and we are very responsive in sharing that content with our followers.
We’ve established a rhythm to our social media posts, so our followers can expect a humorous quote every Monday; and on Fridays we invite followers to send us their pictures holding a bottle of GFW and flipping off as our ‘kick off to the weekend’ using the hashtag #flipofffriday.
MB: What made you decide to enter Brand Battle?
SM: I’m always looking for ways to increase brand awareness, grow our brand, and expand into new markets. What could possibly make that happen faster than having the spotlight shone on us by competing in the WSWA Brand Battle? It’s an unbelievable opportunity to let distributors from around the country know who we are and what we are selling, and hopefully connect and establish new partnership.
Winning our category? That was just the icing on the cake.
MB: What did you find most interesting about the questions or feedback from the judges during the competition?
SM: Generally, the feedback from the judges was very encouraging and very positive. Considering that these judges are “top of the pyramid” in terms of their relevance in the wine industry and their ability to assess and determine brand potential, I was extremely pleased with their comments.
The questions proposed to me were relevant and insightful and it was very validating to our brand to be included in such good company with the other nominees. I have to say that afterwards I felt very confident that we are taking steps in the right direction with this brand.
MB: Tell us what makes for a successful relationship with wholesaler partners, given your retail experience.
SM: I spent 30 years as retailer in wine and spirits and I think I have a real understanding on what makes successful relationships with wholesalers. For me, the two most important aspects are leveraging relationships and open communication.
Distributors know the normal business practices of their accounts. As a producer, we need to trust and respect the distributors and the sales team, in their relationships with retailers. Having said that, we have the ability and the desire to support the brand in the form of promotions, tastings, and advertising. And our buyers can rely upon the inventory being in stock and the distributor making timely deliveries. If we open in a market we want to participate —we want to tell our story to buyers, train the sales force, do what it takes to grow this brand in partnership with our distributors.
MB: What can we expect from you in the final round?
SM: First, I hope I’ll be able to report on an increase in sales and accounts opened since our win in the wine category.
I’d also like to cover some of the topics I didn’t have a chance to discuss, including our point of sale and swag items that we use as online promotions and in-store giveaways during tastings. In addition, I hope to be able to give an update on some new products that we will be adding to our portfolio.