We’ve listened Malcolm…Here’s what you’ve asked for!

The above statement (sic) was the subject line in my in-box yesterday, with a message from the Vintage Cellars Wine Club.

As someone who has made half a dozen vintages in my time and who also appreciates both colours – red and white – I was curious.

Who had they listened too? What had I asked for?

I opened the message and realised immediately it was a ruse. It’s a sauvignon blanc sale. And if you know me, you’ll know my view of sauvignon blanc.

I can’t stand the stuff. Tastes like the liquid dregs when you get a pair of grandma’s old panty hose, stuff them with the neighbour’s lawn clippings and flush it all with a hose.

But that’s just my opinion. Lots of people like it. One of the benefits of not being a sav blanc fan, is that whenever we dine with wine, I tend to get a larger share of the riesling, chard or pinot grigio that’s on offer. That’s of course if we’re not drinking rouge.

Lying to people doesn’t really help you sell to them, which is why I cannot understand receiving that message. I never asked for it, so to speak, so what were they listening too?

Vintage Cellars know what wines I buy, when I buy, how much I buy and how much I pay. It’s all recorded at point of sale and linked to my membership. And there are very few transactions involving sauvignon blanc.

This message suggests they weren’t listening to, or looking at, anything my sales history said. Maybe they were sampling their wares when they keyed the data selection? Once again a case of marketers getting the small data wrong.

This is a worry, because if they get the important small data wrong, how will they ever get the masses of BIG DATA right?

I need a drink…