Starý vrch: from data analytics to social media

The client

Starý vrch is a family winery from Hustopeče in South Moravia, founded in 2014 by Petr and Lukáš Polický. The vineyards sit in the middle of the largest almond orchard in the Czech Republic, with a wooden lookout tower and views of the Pálava hills and the White Carpathians. We have worked together since April 2023 and have gradually taken over the winery's marketing end to end.

The brief

The client came to us with a marketing strategy that hadn't been thought through. Communication was fragmented across channels, there was no clearly defined target customer and no retention strategy. Social media content was inconsistent, email campaigns lacked precise targeting and offline activities were minimal. Performance campaigns, meanwhile, were running inefficiently with poor returns.

On top of that, the pure e-shop model was becoming unsustainable — legislative changes and rising logistics costs were squeezing margins and slowing sales.

The solution

Our starting point was that effective marketing must always grow out of an understanding of the wider business context. So we began with a complete audit and a strategic reframing of the whole business.

Strategic pivot. Instead of relying on pure e-commerce, we shifted the centre of gravity to experience-based sales — tastings, weddings, corporate events and teambuildings held directly at the winery.

Integrated strategy. We connected social media, content, email, performance campaigns, offline events and out-of-home into a single, consistent strategy.

• Social media — a new content strategy, carousel and reels formats, educational content and collaborations with food bloggers and influencers.
• Email marketing — personalised campaigns segmented by customer behaviour.
• Performance campaigns — detailed keyword analysis, precise targeting and continuous optimisation on Meta, Google and Sklik.
• Web and e-shop — a modern, more user-friendly redesign; we moved the e-shop to its own subdomain with better product categorisation.
• Offline activations — guided tastings, presence at festivals and food events, corporate parties, teambuildings and weddings.
• Additional channels — radio advertising and citylight posters in Brno.

When disruptions came — weather affecting wine sales, legislative changes hitting corporate gifting — we responded by diversifying the services and turning the obstacles into opportunities for growth.

The results

• +140% year-over-year revenue growth
• +151% increase in wine customers
• +47% total revenue growth (since April 2023)
• +137% budget increase with efficiency maintained
• −23% reduction in cost-of-sales ratio
• +50% increase in average order value
• up to 42% email campaign open rate

What we delivered

An integrated marketing strategy, a content calendar and reels for social media, blog and educational articles, sequences of personalised email campaigns, a redesigned website and e-shop, performance campaigns, coordination and promotion of offline events, radio spots and a citylight campaign.