Research pick: Labelling boost for wine and beer sales - "Wine and craft beer in Baja California: an approach to innovation through label design"

Research published in the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business has taken a close look at the innovation dynamics within Baja California’s flourishing wine and craft beer industries. The work focuses specifically on the impact good label design can have on marketing and sales.

The study by Mayer Cabrera-Flores, Creta Cota-Cota, Sialia Mellink Méndez, and Alicia León-Pozo of CETYS Universidad Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico, was prompted by the notable growth in these sectors, The findings, the team suggests, align with Hansen and Birkinshaw’s 2007 model and shows a strong connection with product commercialization processes and strategies. The research drinks deeply from marketing innovation as outlined in the 2006 Oslo Manual.

The Oslo Manual, produced and published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), refers to a set of guidelines for collecting and interpreting data on innovation in the field of science, technology, and industry. It provides a framework for understanding and measuring innovation activities, enabling researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to gather relevant and comparable information across different regions and industries.

One key aspect of this new analysis in IJESB involves the creation of a specialized instrument, developed and validated by graphic design experts. This tool serves as a comprehensive means to analyze various elements contributing to the innovation design of beer and wine labels, including materials, information presentation, the nuances of visual design, and the efficacy of persuasion in influencing purchase intention.

The team has tested their instrument’s effectiveness through a detailed evaluation of regional wine and craft beer labels, using focus groups as the primary method of data collection. Ultimately, the significance of the study lies in its potential to deepen our understanding of the processes involved in stimulating creativity and innovation within Baja California’s wine and craft beer industry and perhaps other regions. The detailed focus on product branding in label design uncovers the extent to which innovation in this area can shape brand perception and consumer behaviour. Fundamentally, investing in label design enhances persuasiveness, fostering market expansion and aligning with innovation efforts.

Cabrera-Flores, M., Cota-Cota, C., Mellink Méndez, S. and León-Pozo, A. (2024) ‘Wine and craft beer in Baja California: an approach to innovation through label design’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp.1–18.