Innovation Opportunities and Digital Storytelling: An Exploratory Study of the Midlands and North Wine Region. Report of Findings

This report discusses findings from an exploratory study of digital storytelling in the context of the Midlands and North wine region of the UK, carried out by CHEFS: the Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society research cluster of Sheffield Hallam University. Section 1 introduces the context to the project: the importance of storytelling and storytellers for small-scale wineries, and the ways in which the Coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally disrupted small-scale wineries’ typical marketing practices, routes to market, and approaches to engaging with their consumers. These conditions form the background to the project aims, which are to: • scope the current state of play of Midlands and North regional wineries’ digital marketing tools and content; • identify innovation opportunities through digital storytelling. To deliver on these aims, a mixed method, cross-sectional study was conducted via desk research, a qualitative content analysis ‘audit’ of regional wineries’ digital marketing content, and an online survey and semi-structured interviews with winery representatives. Section 2 reviews insights from existing research on: storytelling and the generation of value for small-scale wines; two scales of stories, for individual wineries and for regions; the Midlands and North wine and tourism consumer. Sections 3 reports on the digital marketing audit, reviewing main digital platforms, key digital innovations and innovation opportunities since the start of the pandemic; and ongoing interest in further digital development and support. Section 4 focuses on identifying common ground for an emergent, credible regional wine story that resonates with the region’s winery stakeholders, in relation to shared attributes across regional winery’s individual external-facing stories (re. family, provenance, and diversity) and shared internal perceptions of the Midlands and North region (regional confidence, collaboration, and difference). Section 5 reviews key takeaways from the research, highlighting key attributes that might underpin a 'local, regional destination' story for the wineries of the Midlands and North, focused on artisanal, authentic wines and wine experiences; family, community and connection with and for local/regional wine consumers; and diversity and difference through small-scale producers who work with diverse grape varieties and styles to offer wines to be valued for their difference from what is available on the supermarket shelf, or elsewhere across English and Welsh wine.