Does objective and subjective knowledge vary between opinion leaders and opinion seekers? Implications for wine marketing

Wine is a heterogeneous, information-rich offering, with a plethora of brands in the market. Knowledge of wines amidst such diversity understandably varies. In addition, some offer opinions on wine while others seek them. Yet, the interplay between opinion leadership and opinion seeking, on the one hand, and wine knowledge, both objective and subjective, has received little attention by wine marketing researchers. Thus, this paper explores the relationships between opinion leadership and opinion seeking among wine consumers, and investigates whether objective and subjective knowledge varies between opinion leaders and seekers. An online survey was used to collect data on the four constructs and correlation analysis was undertaken to investigate the relationships between them. Key findings indicate that those who tend to seek opinions about wine tend not to have high objective knowledge of wine, as may be expected. On the other hand, opinion leaders think that they know about wine, and generally are objectively knowledgeable. Thus, their influence on others is not only based on communication, but on fact, representing a valuable source of influence for wine marketers. Understanding target consumers’ wine knowledge levels can potentially impact every aspect of wine marketing strategy.