CorpComms Magazine

In the first 18 months after its launch in October 2008, Naked Wines had 80,000 registered buying customers of whom 25,000 pay £20 per month to buy more wines. It launched with the intention of creating an online community of wine drinkers who would purchase Naked Wine's products, but would also help select its products, help create the wines it sells and also engage in discussions.

But Naked Wines was also keen to create a marketplace where customers could buy wines at less than cellar door prices and where wine producers could export to the UK profitably. It launched a new service, Advanced Bookings, where customers can invest in the wines before they are produced in return for preferential prices. The earlier they buy, the less they pay. Customers can then follow online what stage the wine is at, how much is needed and chat directly to the winemaker.

To gain customer support for this initiative, Naked Wines ran online campaigns. For example, when a well known winemaker in Carcassonne in South West France wanted to launch his own vintage, Naked Wines ran a campaign that saw customers pre-buying 1,000 cases within 72 hours, providing the necessary £60,000 cash funds for the winemaker to set up his business.

Naked Wines' homepage has a live feed recording every customer purchase or review, which provides a sense of what is popular, while every winemaker whose products it stocks has a personal profile page, allowing them to tell their stories and interact directly with customers. A live Twitter feed also provides transparency on customers' views and experiences.

More than 52 discussion groups, mainly led by its customers, are on Naked Wines' website, while every repeat customer has their own individual pages, with targeted promotions and recommendations. 'A highly innovative product,' said the judges, who said Naked Wines had found 'innovative ways to drive down costs while enhancing the clients' experiences. They are doing everything that they should do (and what everyone else is doing) and then adding value by pre-empting customer problems.'

Since launch, Naked Wines has helped more than 20 winemakers set up in business, created 81 wines and gathered more than 3,000 Facebook friends and Twitter followers. 'Lots of great elements,' said the judges.

Shortlisted entries:

BBC TV Licensing - Pushing boundaries and solving issues for customers online - Agency: Fishburn Hedges