How this wine distributor is getting Vietnam to sip more by dancing

Live DJ at one of VIVA House of Wine’s many music and wine events (Photo courtesy of VIVA House of Wine)

This week, I chat with VIVA House of Wine’s Co-founder / CMO Edge Pamute about his playful and ingenious marketing strategy for VIVA House of Wine that involves secret speakeasy wine tasting events, courtyard disco parties and most recently, Vietnam’s International Fashion Week 2022.

VIVA House of Wine is the wine subsidiary of TK Distribution, one of the leading beverage distributors in Vietnam for more than 20 years. The VIVA brand was created three years ago by a group of people who share a passion for wine, people and pleasurable moments: William Gallet, a wine connoisseur with deep knowledge of the wine industry, the leaders and staff of TK Distribution and VIVA, who have a fondness for fostering community and, Edge Pamute, a seasoned marketer, long-term Vietnam expatriate and event expert. Combined, all three form the foundation of the business - good wine, good people and pleasurable moments - and give birth to the VIVA brand, which means ‘to live!’ So yes, I guess you can say all three give the brand life.

What makes VIVA so unique from other wine distributors?

The main difference is we don’t just sell wine. Of course, we have a diverse portfolio of notable premium wine labels from around the world but we also build up Vietnam’s modern wine culture by introducing wine into everyday moments of our target consumer. This is part of our company’s DNA and ethos - LAPD (no, not the police department), which stands for lifestyle, accessibility, premium and discovery.

We believe every bottle we sell is a discovery of premium yet accessible wines that match each individual’s lifestyle. So, instead of food and wine pairing, we pair wine with your everyday occasions - celebrations, house parties, home entertainment etc. - to make wine-drinking more accessible and not simply confined within the four walls of upscale cum fine dining restaurants that might not only be out-of-reach but also intimidating for many local Vietnamese people.

CREATING A DEMAND

Whose idea was it to host dance parties with DJs instead of the usual wine dinners? 

When I was young, my aunt who is a wine and music lover, used to show me photos of jazz festivals from the 70s in San Francisco and Montreux. In the 90s, world-renowned US record label, “Naked Music” released its hit single “Music and Wine” and this led to a series of trendy music house parties and wine in the US. The idea is not new, we simply reconstructed it to adapt to a more accessible methodology.

Why did you guys go with this approach?

Wine has Old World and New World; Classic and Boutique; VIVA is a modern-traditionalist brand. While we do wine tasting dinners, we also want to show Vietnam that wine can be modern, dynamic and fitting to everyday lifestyle (house parties, nights out with friends, sipping with the girls at home and home entertainment). Thus, we opted for this revolutionary approach, which is in line with our LAPD DNA.

Who is the target audience?

You! But in all seriousness, 18 and above (of course). More importantly, we make sure we’re inclusive and not excluding anyone from VIVA House of Wine.

How did you decide on this strategy - what was the inspiration?

We’ve been in this business for decades and throughout the entire time, wine events have basically been the same. Plus, in the past couple of years, the world has changed and Vietnam in particular has/is changing at lightspeed. More than ever, peoples’ mindsets have shifted and lifestyles have changed significantly.

Though their traditional roots remain, many local Vietnamese are becoming increasingly open and are hungry for new experiences. So, we thought now’s the perfect time to do something modern yet classic and introduce wine through a series of exciting yet familiar experiences/events that resonate with the kind of person and lifestyle they aspire towards.

What has the feedback been so far?

Before the event, people were saying – that’s so cool! And after, people (like yourself) are already telling us how much they’re looking forward to the next one. Ultimately, we just want people to be happy and engage positively with the VIVA brand.

Outdoor live DJ and wine party in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo courtesy of VIVA House of Wine)

What is the price of the wines that you choose for these events?

From 200,000 VND to 1 million VND. Always accessibly priced of course! We offer different types of wine but also Sangria so people can experience our wines in a different way.

Are you worried people are not going to learn about your wine this way

It was approved by the board as a one-off only but between you and me, we actually planned for an entire series because that’s how confident we are. At the moment, we’re planning the third event of our series and have some very interesting venues lined up so stay tuned!

CREATING AN EXPERIENCE

Why have you chosen dance parties and fashion events to partner with?  How does wine add to the experience and where does it fit in?

We think of our target customer, their lifestyle, what they enjoy and what ticks them. Then, we ‘pour’ wine into it and voila! These are the undertakings of (in our opinion) an interesting and productive event.

In fact, it had diversified to other leftfield ways of promoting VIVA wines. We were at the Vietnam International Fashion Week, which reached millions of Vietnamese and we will be at BMW Bimmerfest (disclaimer: we don’t promote drinking and driving) and you can experience 1865 wines while getting your hair cut at House Of Barbaard.

We have hosted wine events at L’Homme suitmakers shops as well as Sunday yacht parties, mall VIP lounges, James Bond Ball with Bollinger, movie premieres as well as ‘underground’ wine tasting events at secret venues where invited guests will receive a black invite saying WTF (Wine Tasting Friends) – they love the name and the venue.

During the lockdown, we conceived a series of live stream music and wine pairing sessions and till today, we still offer our ‘SOD IT (Sommelier-on-demand) service where you can hire both a sommelier and entertainer to your home to entertain your friends!

Photo courtesy of VIVA House of Wine

Photo courtesy of VIVA House of Wine

How do you develop ideas for events and experiences?

We steered away from the conventional step-by-step approach - target market, demo, brand identity, reach, engagement etc. - if not we’ll end up at the same place as everyone else. Truth is, if it’s LAPD, we just go for it.

We believe the wine culture in Vietnam is very much still in its infancy and that we have the opportunity to disrupt it. Through our series of fun and innovative events and experiences, we can not only deliver more than the usual outcome from traditional wine events but also introduce different ways and occasions of drinking wine to the local market.

What are some events and ideas that you can share up your sleeve?

We are in the process of planning our next event but you can always be sure it will be something interesting and different. Truth be told, most types of events have already been done. There’s nothing new to what we’re doing. I think what is left is to recreate, renovate, level up and localise!

For more information about VIVA House of Wine, check out their website or visit their office at 41 Mac Thi Buoi, D1 in Ho Chi Minh City (Hanoi office coming soon).

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