Thesis Defense

Candidate: Zakir Uddin AHMED

Msc Wine and Spirits Management 2018-2019
Kedge Business School
Tutor written: Luc MONNEREAU
Tutor oral: Tatiana Chameeva Bouzdine

1
S
 Introduction

“ Bordeaux wine and postmodern consumers: can the tradition-strict

ancient practices of Bordeaux’s wine commerce keep up with the
postmodern consumer era? ”

 Self intro.

 Motivation behind this particular research

 Personal fondness of Bordeaux.
 Personal interest in postmodernism.
 Paradoxical reality in contemporary context for Bordeaux.

2
 Introduction continued

 Consumer literature
 Gist LinkedIn and other viral circulations.
 Gist Élise Lucet televised reports.
 Gist Jacques Dupont press article.
 Gist Pierre Mora’s business article.

3
 Introduction continued

 Aim of the paper

 Synthesis to review several empirical work to help Bordeaux
actors.
 Conducting a qualitative analysis to better understand French
postmodern wine consumers, and also to try and understand any
conflict between the industry and its consumers.
 To lay a foundation for further research.

4
 LITERATURE REVIEW

 Complex question that directed the review tried to understand

 Postmodernism versus modernism.
 Postmodernist organizations versus modernist organizations.
 Postmodern consumers versus modern consumers.

 Understanding empirical work in relation to the consumer literature.

5
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 17 main empirical papers

 Which are a collective analysis of 98 empirical works.

6
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 Postmodernism
 Socio-cultural and intellectual movement which offsets
modernism.
 Can be also defined as a terminology to explain contemporary
patters in consumption.
Modernism
 Anti-romantic, futurist, functional & rational, emphasized
principles unity, order and purity.

7
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 Postmodern era
 Intuitive, symbol-oriented, consumer controlled age, break down
of traditional concepts of economic and social institutions,
diversity & fragmentation, liberation from conformity.
 Social meaning and plurality of society, social diversity has focus.
Modern era
 Bureaucratic with formal hierarchies, industrial with capitalist
society, industrial mechanized with mass production, stable
markets, consumption patters.

8
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 Complications
 Lack of empirical work.
 Emergence of post postmodernism.

9
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 Postmodern consumer through behavior & identity

 Creates identity through consumption.
 Individualistic.
 Not loyal, cares little about brands.
 Immediate gratification.
 Fact focused.
 IT oriented.
 Marketing of functionality doesn’t work. Expects more.
 Subscribes to many lifestyles, incompatible value systems.
 Unpredictable, whimsical behavior patterns.
10
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 Postmodern consumer through age groups & generations

 G.I generation (1901-1925) modern.
 Silent generation (1926-1945) modern.
 Baby boomers (1946-1964) modern transitional.
 Generation X (1965-1981) postmodern transitional.
 Net/Y/Digital generation (1982-2003) postmodern.

11
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 Modernist organizations
 Rationality.
 Bureaucracy.
 Efficiency and administrative control.
 Hierarchical control.
 Organization charts.
 Official positions, job descriptions, distinctive titles, time sheets.
Employees seen as cost factor.

12
 LITERATURE REVIEW
continued

 Supplemental review
 A deeper look into French millennials.
 Retail wine purchasing behavior.
 On-premise purchasing.
 Segmentation, lifestyle and psychology.
 Consumer stance on oakiness.
 Craft consumption and authenticity.
 Sustainability.
 Wine avoidance.

13
 METHODOLOGY

 Approach
Qualitative study of deductive nature, through structured
interviews leading to thematic analysis. The interviews were
transcribed which was presented in the appendix of the written part
of the thesis.
Participants
French consumers between 25 to 55 years of age. They consume
wine on a regular basis and come from different professional and
socio-economic background. Gender was varied. The geographic
reach was mostly limited to the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of France.

14
 METHODOLOGY continued

 Data analysis
 Initial read through to make general sense of the data.
 Primary coding applied to identity critical segments.
 Code labels assigned.
 Refining the codes separately yet simultaneously for data.
descriptive text and thematic text.
 Repeated reading to prevent loss of information.
 3 bases were used for code names; literature reviewed, in vivo and
ideas that were evoked during the interview process.

15
 RESULTS

 6 themes emerged
 Uncertainty- this captured admission regarding lack of wine knowledge.
 Price paradox- expecting quality at mass retail, finding Bordeaux to be
expensive.
 Alternate value search- non-adherent to traditional norms, seeking value
symbolic or cultural in nature. Craft/artisanal/small production/family run
etc.
 Self-actualization- consists sub-themes like self development, instant
gratification, sense of self, fulfillment, hedonism.
 Authenticity-appreciative- affinity to production location & procedure.
 Tradition-resistive- tendency to distance from tradition.

16
 RESULTS continued

Alex 35 years old Showed postmodern traits in 50% of the themes

Fanny 25 years old Showed postmodern traits in 66% of the themes

Camille 26 years old Showed neutrality in most of the themes

Clement 27 years old Showed postmodern traits in 66% of the themes

Florent 35 years old Showed postmodern traits in 100% of the themes

Gaelle 30 years old Showed postmodern traits in 83% of the themes

Rachel 49 years old Showed transitional trait between modern and postmodern

Matthieu 47 years old Showed modern traits in 50% of the themes and neutral for the rest

Veronique 45 years old Showed postmodern traits in 66% of the themes

Damien 54 years old Showed modern traits in 83% of the themes

17
 RESULTS continued

 Important to note
 The participants displayed whim which is a postmodern trait. This
was seen under several themes, for example under uncertainty
they displayed whim regarding branding.
 Contrasting participants to whim, showed more ‘rationality’.
Interestingly they were more Gen X than Y.
 The only participant to now display price paradox was the oldest
one.
 Only one participant was clearly concerned about environmental
issues and sustainability.

18
 RESULTS continued

 Important to note
 It was observed in general that most of the participants were very
open about wines from the new world. They not only appreciated
the wines but also thought their qualities could be as good as old
world wines. This trait of the participants can be demonstrated as
a ‘worldly individual’ trait, open to diversity and plurality.

19
 DISCUSSION

 Through the interviews conducted it was possible to see and

evaluate some of the existing theories on postmodern consumers
to some extent. But due to lack of sufficient literature, it remains a
work in progress.
 Out of ten participants, one one interviewee demonstrated
postmodernist traits in all six themes whole the other younger
participants were mostly postmodernist in nature with slight
tendency to neutrality.
 Bias is a big factor of deviation. Such as professional and family
biases. This can make postmodernist behave differently.

20
 DISCUSSION continued

Analyzing CIVB
 CIVB’s segmentation. The first segment consisted of men, 40
years old with a high income. This was their ‘art segment’, mostly
consumers of classified growth. Important to remark here that
none of the participants of my study demonstrated any affinity to
art or luxury component of the wine industry. CIVB’s importance
thus can be seen given towards the 5% niche.
 Their second segment was ‘exploration segment’ consisting of
men between 30 to 40 years of age. It is remarkable to see that the
first 2 segments are based on gender and economic prowess.

21
 DISCUSSION continued

Analyzing CIVB
 Their third segment was ‘fun segment’ consisting of young men and
women who are fashionable, trendy and liked easy to drink wines.
Rejuvenation of Bordeaux’s brand image was focused on this group. We
see clear disconnect here compared to literature.
 We see elements of modernism (brand focus) in CIVB’s marketing
approach. Their identification of young consumers under ‘fun’ is difficult
to associate with any literature reviewed in this study.
 Additionally, in the interviews of this study, the participants showed
unpredictability and heterogeneity, feeling zero appeal of modern
marketing.

22
 DISCUSSION continued

Analyzing CIVB
 Things get further complicated if CIVB is considering young consumers
from the 17 to 25 years age group, who as per literature as post
postmodern in nature. For an industry also struggling to understand the
transition from modern to postmodern, and yet fitting into any of this
properly, is only supposed to perform in a further lost manner if already
more change is taking place.

23
 LIMITATIONS

 Non transferable
 A convenient sample. Demographic & geographic diversity of interviewees.
 Lack of contemporary and relevant empirical work.
 Lack of statistical analysis for this study.
 The analysis of this study comes from a certain perspective and cannot be
considered wholesome due to the complex dynamics of the Bordeaux wine
industry.
 Research required to minute details such as cooperative wineries, independent
wineries. Likewise to other actors of retail and mass operations such as wine shops.
 The phenomenon of wine tourism and wine tourists in Bordeaux.
 Heterogeneity and maturity of markets.

24
 CONCLUSION

 Positive sign that CIVB is trying to understand the consumers but they
need to involve scholars and carry out detailed empirical research
extensively. Such as research bodies ‘Bordeaux Wine Economics’ to
launch several studies in the social sciences to understand the erratic
consumers of the age.
 They need to additionally understand that modern marketing is quite
inutile and should bring in expert foreign expats from the wine world,
preferably from new world wine countries. This will be adding fresh yet
experienced minds which will help in the transition.

25
 CONCLUSION continued

 Recommending sponsoring disruptive, free wine education throughout

France through music fests/concerts.
 Despite the limitations and challenges of this study, the date obtained and
analyzed can serve as a starting point in understanding the generations
deeper who are occupying the marketplace.
 This is a source of analysis of wine consumers today and can encourage
scientific understanding of several phenomena such as how an enterprise
of modernist nature can clash in a postmodern marketplace.
 Carefully selected literature on craft consumption, prosumption and
sustainability will also enhance Bordeaux actors to conduct managerial
implications and measure their actions with greater efficiency.

26
Thank you!

27