NICHOLAS J SOLGA
Credentialed wine professional with stamina for the long haul, intelligence to survive the gauntlet, and a general, all-around facility to make things happen.
Branding and Social Media Strategist. Certified Wine Educator by the Society of Wine Educators. Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.
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project [fermented]
Project Fermented LLC is a multidisciplinary wine-consulting agency that I founded in 2010, specializing in brand marketing, social media strategy, wine education & ambassadorship.
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credentials
- Certified Sommelier - Court of Master Sommeliers
- Certified Wine Educator - Society of Wine Educators
- Certified Specialist of Wine - Society of Wine Educators
- 10+ Years Experience (educating, serving, and jumpstarting status brands from family-owned, publicly traded, boutique and corporate wineries)
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Info
- Brand Strategist | Wine Educator | SommelierWine and Spirits | San Francisco Bay Area, USSummaryPassionate, enterprising wine professional with expertise in jumpstarting brands and educating consumers/trade. Demonstrated executive experience developing and implementing strategic plans while managing successful programs in the marketplace. Recognized ability to identify growth opportunities while continually challenging the “status-quo” to develop fresh, creative approaches to accomplishing goals.
Driven by an intense passion for wine that often proves contagious as one of fewer than 100 professionals to hold both the title of Certified Wine Educator and Certified Sommelier.Specialties: Brand marketing/management, social media strategy, and wine education. Wine consulting: new product conceptualization, package design, market research, web/print communications, point-of-sale materials development, winery ambassadorship, and media personality. Research Tools: Nielsen, Gomberg-Fredrikson, DI-ProDiver Depletion/Sales Suite.Experience- Oct 2010 - PresentDirector of Brand Strategy | Founder / project [fermented]Project Fermented LLC, is a multidisciplinary wine-consulting agency specializing in brand marketing, social media strategy, wine education & ambassadorship.
Clients: Banfi Vintners (Castello Banfi-Banfi Tuscany, Bolla, Emiliana Organic Vineyards, Fontana Candida, Vigne Regali-Rosa Regale). Excelsior Wine Company (Concha y Toro, Trivento Bodegas y Vinedos). - Feb 2008 - Oct 2010Brand Manager / Banfi VintnersOversee daily operations and brand planning for the New World Wine Portfolio including one of the top five imported wine brands in the U.S. and three of the top five brands among the Chilean market segment. Jointly responsible for growth and profitability across seven wineries, 21+ brands and approximately 260+ SKUs (four million cases sold annually, ranging from $7-145 per bottle, retail).
Create and oversee all Social and New Media Marketing initiatives. Advise in new product conceptualization and packaging design while continuing to direct and ensure success in the development and tactical execution of all processes listed below as Marketing Manager.
• Wineries: Concha y Toro, Emiliana Organic Vineyards, Maycas del Limari, Trivento
• Instrumental in +17% portfolio growth - 18x faster than the total US wine market (2007-2009).
• Managed key brand turn-around of Xplorador, a premium priced Chilean wine. Identified new Millennial consumer target. Repositioned packaging design, website, and POS materials. Initiated an innovative, feature-rich Social Media communications campaign. Sales grew +152% overall, +59% compound annual growth rate (2007-2009).
• Part of the Xplorador brand turn-around, was the creation of a dramatic floor display. This display energized sales personnel, commanded consumer attention, and won the "Design of the Times" award - besting other entries from top beverage leaders. - Aug 2007 - Feb 2008Marketing Manager / Banfi VintnersManage the tactical development and final deployment of programs for both the European and New World Wine Portfolios. Responsible for all Marketing project management including sales analysis, creative direction, production follow-through and content proofing - requiring diligent management of agencies and superior teaming with Support, Production, and Sales teams. Key duties include copywriting of all package labels, websites, and brochures; sell sheets, wine information sheets, and national account presentations.
- Dec 2006 - Jul 2007Account Executive / LaBov & Beyond Marketing CommuncationsAccount management responsible for client growth and profitability on annual billings exceeding $1.2MM. Key client projects include strategic brand planning, web and product literature creation, dealer and distributor training, sales and trade show support, event management, public relations, media planning, negotiation, placement and on-going brand standards compliance. Clients: Terex Corporation and Ferrari of North America.
- Oct 2005 - Nov 2006Account Executive / Marketshare+, Inc.Manage client projects resulting in annual billings exceeding $600K. Act as the main conduit between the agency and the client to ensure fluid communication and timely job completion. Participate in strategic planning. Compile and conduct competitive analyses. Guide creative development according to product positioning. Continue dedicated stewardship of all accounts and consistently work to procure new business. Client industries: business banking, mechanical contracting, medical, real estate development/brokerage, and recreational boat manufacturing.
- Sept 2005 - Nov 2006Media Supervisor / Marketshare+, Inc.Oversee all Media Department operations while leading a team of assistants and coordinators. Approve allocation of client budgets by medium. Evaluate planning research for accuracy. Direct media plan authoring and confirm cost goals. Guide and advise in buying negotiations. Approve all media plans and conduct presentations to client executive management.
- Oct 2002 - Sept 2005Media Planner / Marketshare+, Inc.Develop and design media plans according to approved client strategy. Set campaign flight schedules and total delivery goals. Target client’s niche demographic by researching segmenting socioeconomics, usage patterns, commitment levels and psychographics. Review multiple, complex research tools including: SRDS, SQAD, MMG, VoiceTrak, MRI, Simmons, ABC/BPA audits, Arbitron and Nielsen. Create and present media objectives, strategy, mediums chosen and final buy recommendations for approval. Execute, manage, and post-analyze all plans.
- Jun 2002 - Oct 2002Media Buyer / Marketshare+, Inc.Implement media plans by intensely negotiating program/space rates across multiple platforms including: cable/broadcast television, radio, newsprint, magazine, outdoor signage, Internet, database, and direct marketing. Monitor ad traffic, negotiate scheduled ad replacements, and review/reconcile all media vendor invoices. Establish and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with all vendors and representatives.
Education-
1998 - 2002Indiana University BloomingtonBachelor of Arts
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