Entrepreneurial marketing in small wineries: a case of the Tasmanian wine industry

In recent years, the marketing focus among successful small firms has shifted away from mainstream marketing strategies, to more ‘offbeat’ practices characteristic of entrepreneurial marketing. This trend has been encouraged by the realisation that many administrative and conventional marketing practices may not be entirely suitable or attainable for small firms. In particular, researchers agree that the unique characteristics of the small firm serve as an important influence over their marketing decision-making, planning and level of activity. This exploratory research examines the marketing employed by a sample of small Tasmanian wineries. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher will explore the factors that influence the marketing small wineries pursue, and determine whether the findings are consistent with existing theoretical frameworks established to explain the small firm marketing phenomenon.