Some years ago I read the book “The 22 immutable laws of marketing” (written by Al Ries and‎ Jack Trout): a short, easy-reading book of marketing, schematic but effective, consistent with the American style, at least according to my experience.

The 18th law listed by the book is “The law of success” according to what “success often leads to arrogance and arrogance to failure”. In this chapter, the authors mention Trump as an example with his strategy to put his name on everything and even with big sizes! They state that when people become successful they tend to be less objective: they substitute their judgments for what the market wants and this, logically, leads – sooner or later – to the failure. The book has been published many years ago, the authors could not imagine the recent developments and that Trump would have become the President of United States. What’s wrong with the 18th rule though?!

Trump has also put his giant “T” on wine as he owns a winery in Virginia, actually a very big one in this area (80 Ha). The Donald, like most of the wineries in USA, relies on Mexican workers who can benefit of temporary permissions to perform agricultural labor or services. Unfortunately Trump is the same person who wants to build the famous -and likewise giant – wall to stop Mexican immigrants stating: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.  They’re not sending you.  (…) They’re sending people that have lots of problems (…).  They’re bringing drugs.  They’re bringing crime.  They’re rapists.  And some, I assume, are good people” as reported by many newspaper (see The Washington Post).

mwwc36: the monthly challenge among wine writers, this time about the “Environment”

So when I have read the theme of the current Monthly Wine Writing Challenge (#mwwc36),  a monthly challenge among wine writers who compete writing about a theme launched by the winner of the previous edition and that – for this month – is “Environment”, I asked myself: regarding the wine production, is environment only meant as terroir or should we consider the cultural and friendly contest we work and live in? Are the Mexican worker employed at Trump winery the “assumed good people” among the “rapists” or the “rapists” themselves? How did they feel when they heard their boss promising the wall and so on? I fear this is a debate which will remain open for long!

I think something has gone wrong, but it is not the 18th law of marketing!