Rodney Strong Vineyards was founded in 1959 when Rodney Strong chose Sonoma County in California as the ideal place to produce some of the best-known wines in the world. Three decades after its founding, Rodney Strong Vineyards’ management shifted to the Klein family, and today, their leadership continues the tradition of developing premium wines while prioritizing sustainability efforts.
Vineyard location is critical, and land is carefully selected. At present, the brand owns 12 estate vineyards in Sonoma County, and Rodney Strong itself is right in the middle of the Russian River Valley.
The marketing team at Rodney Strong Vineyards is involved in everything from advertising to strategy to social media, packaging, and brand creation. Marketing also works closely with sales and hospitality. Initiatives not only include luxury events drawing wine lovers to Sonoma but also promotions designed to highlight Rodney Strong’s commitment to sustainability.
Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Erica Odden, VP of Marketing for Rodney Strong, about the brand’s sustainability sweepstakes, meaningful customer engagement, and creating an environment for emotional loyalty to flourish.
Rodney Strong Vineyards was founded in 1959 when Rodney Strong chose Sonoma County in California as the ideal place to produce some of the best-known wines in the world. Three decades after its founding, Rodney Strong Vineyards’ management shifted to the Klein family, and today, their leadership continues the tradition of developing premium wines while prioritizing sustainability efforts.
Vineyard location is critical, and land is carefully selected. At present, the brand owns 12 estate vineyards in Sonoma County, and Rodney Strong itself is right in the middle of the Russian River Valley.
The marketing team at Rodney Strong Vineyards is involved in everything from advertising to strategy to social media, packaging, and brand creation. Marketing also works closely with sales and hospitality. Initiatives not only include luxury events drawing wine lovers to Sonoma but also promotions designed to highlight Rodney Strong’s commitment to sustainability.
Mark Johnson, CEO of Loyalty360, spoke with Erica Odden, VP of Marketing for Rodney Strong, about the brand’s sustainability sweepstakes, meaningful customer engagement, and creating an environment for emotional loyalty to flourish.
Good afternoon, good morning. This is Mark Johnson from Loyalty360. Hope everyone's happy, safe and well. I want to welcome you to another edition of our Leaders in Customer Loyalty series. In this series, we speak with leading brands about what they are seeing and hearing on the front lines of customer channel and brand loyalty. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Erica Auden. She's the Vice President of Marketing for Rodney Strong. Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us today. Erica, how are you?
Speaker 2:
Good, how are you, mark? Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:
Good, good, good. Looking forward to discussion. As I mentioned, I'm a big Rodney Strong fan. Thank you Looking forward to talking more with you. So first off, we'd like to start these on a more personal level, so we'd love to know a little bit more about you, your current role at Rodney Strong and maybe how you led up to the position you have now.
Speaker 2:
Sure. So I have been at Rodney Strong for a little over 11 years and it's wonderful. It's a family-run company. I love being here and I basically manage the marketing team, which means we do a lot of different things and everything from advertising to strategy, to social media, to gosh packaging and brand creation, and so it's quite fun and we work really closely with sales as well as hospitality. And for me, what brought me here is I was I've been in the wine business now for 20 plus years maybe 22 plus years and so I was at another winery, previous to that, actually two other wineries. So I love Sonoma County and I firmly believe in being as local as possible, and so I got a phone call and came over from a different part of Sonoma to be up in Healdsburg where the winery is located.
Speaker 1:
Okay. So I have a question. So I'm a big Pinot guy, as much as I drink a ton, but I do like Pinot Noir and it's all I drink. So my two favorite uh areas are the russian river and all the saint lucia highlands. Right, they're up in oregon. So, uh, what is? Is there any similarities between them? The grapes, uh, I'm not sure, but the other pinots don't seem to taste as as the same to me. I'm not sure if there's similarities between those those areas or not, or uh, um, so, gosh, uh, very different.
Speaker 2:
Oregon and russian river are definitely very different, but it is all, uh, you know, the same varietal and pinot and there's lots of clones of pinot, so it also depends on the clone and and where they're planted. So place, place is very, very important. That's one of the things we always focus on. We have um 12 estate vineyards in sonoma County and our winery is actually right in the middle of Russian River, so we know Russian River really well. Russian River has just that perfect blend of soil and sunshine and really we're close to the coast. So I know that sounds strange, but we get a coastal influence. So for us, that really helps with Pinot.
Speaker 2:
Pinot is a thin skinned grape so it likes to be cooled off. It doesn't want to stay hot because then it gets overly ripe. So if we can keep that kind of cool breeze, which is what's perfect in Russian River. I don't know Oregon as well. I do know it's a cooler climate and I think Pinot thrives in cool climate, but definitely different based on place. So that is the really where it's planted is the key for for Pinot and and managing that thin skin, so you can be sure about that. So, yeah, those are my little bit of wine knowledge.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's the that. Uh, I just seem to uh like Pinot's from there, like we would go to a nice house. I'll. It's either, uh, those two St Lucia Highlands or the russian river that I that I pull from, yes, when I'm trying something, but uh, I'm pretty much creature habits, so there's only a few wines I really like, but uh, obviously yours is a good one. So now, now I have a little more wine, uh, knowledge than I did before, so I always like learning.
Speaker 2:
That's good me, me too, me too. I'm always learning about wine, right, there's always something new to learn, so absolutely so.
Speaker 1:
I know, Rodney Strong, you are holding your second annual sustainability sweepstakes, which run through May 31. You award you awarded 60,000 in awards last year for an electric vehicle. You have some other environmental initiatives as well. This year, I think, you're going to award 15 winners 2,500 to buy an electric bicycle. It seems like sustainability is very important to riding strong.
Speaker 2:
It is. It is. I think we're super excited about the e-bike sweepstakes. It went beautifully last year with the e-car, and so we adapted a little bit to e-bike in order to A get some more winners right, get more people engaged in the sweepstakes and in the process, and also e-bikes are pretty fun, right. So to be able to have an e-bike would be a fabulous opportunity. So we are really seeing good results from that as well. So we've seen about 11,000 entrants, which is faster than we expected for even faster than last year. So some really good numbers there in terms of consumer uptake, and that is just one piece of what we do in sustainability.
Speaker 2:
So, just quickly to elaborate on some of the other initiatives, one of the things is our vineyards are estate vineyards and, like I said, we have 12 of them. It's about 1,158 acres. They're 100% certified sustainable, and so that's a pretty big initiative, to be sure, because we get recertified, I think, every two to three years. So that's one of our biggest focus. We believe in being stewards of the land. While it sounds simple, it's not always simple, right? So we have a lot of land to cover and so we really focus on being sustainable.
Speaker 2:
One of the other things is we just replanted a significant portion of our vineyards to improve water savings. So with that replanting we did a different kind of irrigation that is called deficit irrigation, which means less water to the vine, and then the vine really focuses on the fruit, so not on the leaves, and so that allows that vine to actually be healthier over time. And we've saved, and will save, as those vineyards come online about 50% of our water usage. So that's a fabulous step. And then we also have a solar array. So we redid our solar array which is back on our cellars, and that's 4,200 panels and that's about 50% of our electricity. Hundred panels and that's about 50 percent of our electricity. So for us it's not just one thing.
Speaker 1:
We really try to be sustainable across different parts of the company and contribute back as much as we can. Ok. When you look at first off, what is an estate vineyard, what does that mean exactly?
Speaker 2:
So we, we firmly own those estates. So we just recently bought a vineyard called River West and it's about 330 acres and so we farm that estate, which means we control everything, from how it's irrigated, how it's planted, what is on that vineyard, what happens throughout the growing cycle. So we basically control everything all the way to getting the grapes to the winery. So that's an estate vineyard. It is fully controlled by us.
Speaker 1:
Okay, excellent. So when you look at the sweepstakes that you put forth for your customers and your wine club family members, you know how do these sweepstakes engage your audience from a customer loyalty perspective, maybe from a sustainability perspective. You know how does it speak to your customer?
Speaker 2:
no-transcript. So that really is the way we connect that back and we talk to kind of just how much we value our customers and so we want to do what makes them more interested in engaging in our brand.
Speaker 1:
So OK, and I know you also support the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts and Sonoma State University as well. This ability, corporate social responsibility, seem to be part of your DNA. I have obviously a strong history of supporting those efforts. You know what does corporate social responsibility mean in your overall customer loyalty efforts.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, so we have been really focused on the community since inception. So Running Strong was started back in 1959. And we really focused on community that whole time. And so I think for us sustainability is not just green efforts right, so green efforts are a piece of that from water usage and farming practices but it is also the community, and so for us that's that step.
Speaker 2:
Corporate social responsibility for us is also very much about community, and so that community means being holistic and giving back. So what we really are focused on is what can we do to kind of build our family? So when we talk about Rodney Strong, the emotional connection is about being part of something, being part of the family, and that is community. So not a traditional family, but really in having that connection with the consumer and making them feel welcome and part of something, and so that to us means making their community, where they live, as positive and as good as possible. So we corporate social responsibility for us is definitely really fits in with community and giving back to the community.
Speaker 2:
So that could be something, like you said, luther Burbank Center. It could be about education with Sonoma State. It could be about the arts with San Francisco Ballet. It could be about children of restaurant employees, which is called CORE, where we give back to, you know, families that work in the restaurant industry. So we try as much as we can to support community here, obviously in California and in Sonoma County specifically, because that's our, that's our home. We we only make Sonoma County wine, so that's what we're focused on, but we also focus on the community across the country.
Speaker 1:
So that's what we're focused on, but we also focus on the community across the country. Okay, you also have your wine club family, a unique program where they can receive special offers and access to exclusive wines that are only available directly from the winery and have some additional perks as well Special events, wine tasting, some of the exclusive benefits. What does the wine club do for Rodney Strong and how do you inspire customers to become club members?
Speaker 2:
For us, I think that it comes back to what I said just previously about being part of the family, right? So I think what we create at the winery is truly that feeling. So, when you visit us, that's what we want you to walk away with. We want you to feel like you're part of the family and part of something so welcoming, you know, not pompous. We're really authentic and true to who we are. Right, we are Sonoma County, we believe in Sonoma County, and that relaxed, welcoming feeling is what we want them to take with them.
Speaker 2:
And so, while, yes, we have three different clubs, we can and always do beautiful events. It's all that connection of like. How do they feel when they leave and so, or when they're there and enjoying themselves. So the club, I think, sets that tone. It really provides that feeling, and so, for us, that's what we've seen. We've gotten more engagement when people feel like they're part of something and connected to us as being part of the family and the community, and so we have lots of different benefits, but I think the big piece that really helps us want to build the club is that we want more people to be part of our community.
Speaker 1:
Okay, Absolutely. And then community is a very important part of customer loyalty. Right now, Brands want to differentiate the offering, understand their customers and create engagement in a unique way to drive emotional loyalty. So when you look at emotional loyalty being very important for brands, it's somewhat of a challenge, right? Many brands feel they have emotional loyal customers. We did a research study the end of last year, but many brands don't have a definition for it. They aren't measuring it, but it is there. So you know how does Rodney Strong spark and cultivate emotional loyalty with his customers?
Speaker 2:
A couple of answers. First answer would be around club. You know, for us with the club, we, when we try to leverage that feeling, we have a personal concierge and that's Katie. Katie Turner. She really honestly has built true personal relationships with people. So and she's been here for so long at Rodney Strong that she's, she calls people and they come just to see her, and so there's a there's a uniqueness to us in that person that really allows us to connect with our consumers and build that loyalty and build that engagement. We even named a wine after her, so it's called Katie's Red Blend, and so that is definitely something that is unique to us and allows us to build that loyalty and that engagement.
Speaker 2:
And then the other side of it is a little bit more broad in that nationally we want to meet consumers where they are. So we do digital marketing and digital advertising campaigns into windows and key markets and that is that allows us to convey our stories, convey our messages and then really connect with those consumers. We also do luxury events. We bring events to the consumers. We want to take Sonoma and the feeling of Sonoma and bring that to the consumer. So we also do just as much storytelling as possible through social media. So one of our events is we're going to New Orleans Food and Wine in June, and so we're going to bring Sonoma to the consumer as much as we can.
Speaker 2:
So meeting that consumer where they live. We know that engagement means being authentic in our values. Then those values that match our consumer. We have a. We've named our consumer. We call them the conscious connector, and so we know a decent amount about them and one of those things that's important to them is their their values of sustainability, their values of being part of something and connecting with other people. So we leverage that as well.
Speaker 1:
Okay, and then last year we released our next generation customer loyalty paper, which examines how brands are looking at the future of customer loyalty. When you look at customer loyalty, what does next generation customer loyalty mean to to you and to rodney strong?
Speaker 2:
yeah, it's a next generation customer loyalty. So you know, I think the the piece that's the wine industry, just like everybody else, right, wants to get to that next generation, the younger consumer, and so I think for us it is a matter of doing things that they're interested in and finding ways to reach them. And for Ronnie Strong, it is about connecting as much as we possibly can emotionally. So it's increasing our digital footprint, it's doing more video, it's finding ways to showcase who we are and share our family. We have lots of wonderful and amazing people here at Rodney Strong and we always want to show people who they are.
Speaker 2:
We're not just a family-owned company, right, we are a family, and so that's an example of one of the things we're trying to do. We're trying to focus more on that digital space and how do we share our stories through social media and bring that to the consumer so we can connect to that next generation who is much more digitally focused. And then I'd also say, you know, bringing that experience through events, right? So when we take events across the country and we're going to be doing an event in Texas, for example, and we want to really reach our club members but be also other consumers and give them that emotional connection, and so engagement for us definitely comes out of that storytelling and that emotional connection.
Speaker 1:
OK, what are some of the opportunities or potential challenges you see with regard to evolving the Wine Club family program?
Speaker 2:
You know, I think that's a great question. I think sometimes it's hard to it's hard to adapt, right, we all have to adapt. That's the key. It's all. It's all. What are the next steps?
Speaker 2:
So for us, um, we do as much research as we can, right? So, with the wine club, we, we send out a survey, we ask questions and we say you know what is most important to you? Um, what do you want to see change? What do you want to want to, what do you want in terms of benefits? So, asking them what they want and hearing from the consumer, I think is really important.
Speaker 2:
Research, to me, is a base of everything that we do. We always want to do everything based in data, and so if we can get that data back before we make changes, I think that's important. The other piece is, you know, as it's a challenging environment in wine right now challenging in terms of you know it's competitive, super competitive. There are lots of brands on those shelves, so how do we stand out and what do we do? And I think looking at data and understanding what the consumer really and truly wants and leveraging those insights will help us adapt, and that is, to me, what the wine industry needs to do. We have to adapt digitally, socially and in terms of meeting those consumers where they live.
Speaker 1:
Okay, when you look at other customer loyalty programs, customer loyalty efforts of brands, are there a brand or two that you admire, that you find that the program speaks to you, that works to drive kind of deeper level commitment to you? And if so, what do you like about them?
Speaker 2:
to you and if so, what do you like about them? So I it's. It sounds funny, but I get an environmentally minded toilet paper delivered to my house right. So it's a toilet paper subscription, because it's all made from bamboo. But what I like about them is that they constantly communicate. They have a kind of a you know, a fun, lighthearted, cheeky, actual vibe to how they speak to you.
Speaker 2:
50% of their profits are donated, so they're giving back, so they're truly sustainability minded, and then they tell you what you've contributed, they tell you what you've achieved by being part of their loyalty club, and I really like that. I like that my engagement matters, it has an impact, and so that impact is important, and so what I take away from that is maybe we, with our wine club, could actually take insights from how we're giving back to the community and share that with the consumer in the club and say, hey, this is what we did, this is what the impact was, so maybe there's a better way to close that circle and close that loop and share it, because I like that. I want to see that I'm doing good myself with my actual purchases.
Speaker 1:
Okay, excellent. Last question what can Loyalty360 do to help you and your team paying to your customer loyalty efforts?
Speaker 2:
You know, again, coming back to data, I know you guys have a lot, a great deal of data and research, and so, um, you know, I love learning about what's effective and what's not and finding out better, more insightful ways to reach that consumer. So, um, you know you're, you guys do a fabulous job, and so any way that we can kind of learn more and hear more about your data would be wonderful. So what you do with in terms of research and surveys would be super valuable to us.
Speaker 1:
Absolutely, we can. We can send you some information on that. It's fun for the quick fire question rounds. This is for one word or short phrase answers and we'd like to keep it under 60 seconds. Oh sorry, we'd like to. Anyway, if they're long-winded, I get in trouble with Nick and Tracy. No problem, first off, what's your favorite word?
Speaker 2:
Ooh, sunshine.
Speaker 1:
Ah, what's your least favorite word?
Speaker 2:
Ooh fat. I think it is a horrible word that gets thrown around and has yucky connotations.
Speaker 1:
Okay, what excites you?
Speaker 2:
Travel my next trip.
Speaker 1:
Okay, what do you find tiresome?
Speaker 2:
Divisiveness and polarity. I think we should be accepting and give people some grace.
Speaker 1:
There you go. What is your favorite? Wine, blend or variety?
Speaker 2:
My favorite varietal. I love Cabernet, but I also love Rosé. I like rosé on a hot day.
Speaker 1:
Okay, is there a book that you like that you recommend to colleagues?
Speaker 2:
I just read one that I really, really liked. It's called the Work of Leaders. It has multiple authors, but I've got it right here. It's very pretty. I like it a lot, so it has really good insights about vision, alignment and execution.
Speaker 1:
Okay, excellent. What profession out of the one you currently have would you maybe like to attempt?
Speaker 2:
I would love to be a diplomat.
Speaker 1:
Okay, what do you enjoy doing that you don't often get a chance to do?
Speaker 2:
Hiking.
Speaker 1:
Okay, who inspired you to be the person that you are today?
Speaker 2:
definitely my mom.
Speaker 1:
She's a wonderful human excellent, and what do you typically think about at the end of the day? Oh, all the stuff I need to do tomorrow at my job okay, and the last question, uh, how do you want to be remembered by your friends and family?
Speaker 2:
uh, I want to be remembered as someone who's kind and hopefully a good parent and a good friend.
Speaker 1:
Okay, great. Well, thank you very much, Eric, for taking the time to talk with us today. It was good to get to know you a little bit and also get to know more about Rodney Strong and some of your corporate social responsibility efforts and also your loyalty program and loyalty perspective. Very helpful and very informing.
Speaker 2:
Thank you, Mark. I appreciate your time and it was lovely to talk with you. Thank you.
Speaker 1:
I was speaking with you as well, and thank you everyone else for taking the time to listen. Make sure you join us back for another edition of our Leaders in Customer.
