Introducing the Authentic Alternative Brand Contact Experience Grid: Best practices from award-winning wineries
Abstract
Wineries in competitive heritage regions increasingly invest in unconventional visitor experiences to heighten brand engagement and differentiation. However, innovation may threaten authenticity when encounters diverge from established narrative or provenance cues. This paper examines how award-winning wineries navigate the tension between brand authenticity and alternative brand contact experiences. An exploratory qualitative design identified cases through the Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Awards (Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences, 2022–2025). Documentary analysis informed sampling, followed by semi-structured interviews with brand, marketing, and experience managers across eight wineries in Napa Valley and the Cape Winelands. Thematic analysis, supported by reflexive memoing, produced clear guidelines for the planning of authentic alternative experiences. These guidelines, in context of current literature, underpin a proposed Authentic Alternative Brand Contact Experience Grid, detailing best-practice planning principles: (1) a genuinely distinctive brand story; (2) an on-brand unconventional experience that honours brand congruence over time; (3) a lived stewardship that is both experienced and expressed by custodians; (4) the creation of an immersive multisensory experience; (5) expert curation; (6) responsible implementation; and (7) a commitment to continuous refinement and evolution of the experience. The paper advances theories of brand authenticity and experiential innovation, providing management guidance for heritage-positioned brands seeking differentiation with narrative congruence. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Marthinus J. C. van Loggerenberg is Director of the Advertising Program and an Associate Professor of Communication Studies (Advertising) at the University of San Francisco, and serves as Vice President of the American Advertising Federation San Francisco Bay Area. He holds a PhD in Business Management (Brand Strategy) and brings more than two decades of senior industry experience in advertising, agency leadership, and marketing management. In addition to his academic role, he consults as a brand strategist. His research focuses on authentic narratives in branded entertainment, word-of-mouth marketing, brand identity design, and creative brand communication strategy.
Carla Enslin is Dean of the Postgrad and Research Centre at Emeris. Carla’s interest and experience in brand building include the design and implementation of brand identity systems, brand alignment and contact strategies. She holds a PhD in Economic and Management Sciences, lectures widely in Africa and abroad and conducts corporate training, consulting, and coaching. Carla manages and is a programme supervisor for the IIE Master of Arts in Creative Brand Leadership and the IIE Doctor of Philosophy in Brand Leadership.
