The New York Times Co. announced on August 17 it has launched The New York Times Wine Club, a mail order club that has the potential to provide the embattled publisher with another source of revenue. The newspaper partnered with Global Wine Company, an outsourcer that operates wine mail order clubs for consumer brands such as Omaha Steaks, to handle the business on a turn-key basis. Corporate brand licensing company MODA International Marketing, the exclusive licensing agent for The New York Times, negotiated the deal.
As part of the club, the publisher will also push its archived wine, food and travel content to members. A dedicated Web site, NYTwineclub.com, enables people to select one of the two member levels. Wine club members have the option to order half-cases delivered on a recurring basis, or purchase them on a one-time basis. Each shipment includes customized tasting notes along with related wine, food and travel content from The New York Times archives, including recipe and food pairings for each wine.
The company will market the club with a multichannel strategy. “In the short-term, we plan on leveraging print, online and e-mail marketing techniques,” said Alice Ting, executive director, brand development. “However, we are constantly evaluating all avenues of marketing available to us and are tracking response to determine where to place our focus in the long-term.”
The newspaper said that the club will provide readers and other wine enthusiasts with wines from many regions from small, family-run boutique wineries with limited production.
