ParlezUSA - Doing Business with America

The U.S. Commercial Service, America's frontline export promotion agency will organize the US Pavilion at Pollutec 2005, France’s premier environmental trade show, November 29 - December 2, 2005. The US Pavilion will showcase some of America’s most innovative environmental technologies from water conservation and air pollution control to recycling equipment and environmental analysis software.

The US environmental industry has had a long-standing tradition of developing cutting edge technologies and has hence grown into a major industrial sector in the U.S. According to Environmental Business International, Inc. (EBI) San Diego, CA), in 2001 the U.S. environmental industry represented total revenues of $214 billion and exports of $22.4 billion generated by almost 35,000 private sector companies and about 87,000 public sector entities. It has recently been recognized as a valuable and vital part of the economy, responsible for more than 2% of GNP and employment of nearly 1.6 million people in the United States in 2002. It is no surprise that the U.S. is one of the leading exporters and importers of environmental technologies in the world .

The U.S. Pavilion exhibitors at Pollutec are a fine example of America’s leading environmental technologies. These include on-line and continuous multi-point gas phase analysis systems, environmental analytical software, cost-effective recycling systems, patented co-lining systems for infrastructure protection, environmental analytical instrumentation, and eco-smart water conservation technologies.

The U.S. Commercial Service will also be available to assist French and European firms learn more about the latest U.S. environmental technologies and meet with U.S. firms in this industry through its b2b matchmaking services and its Buyusa.gov online e-market hub. For more information visit our website at www.buyusa.gov/france/fr/ or contact Trade Specialist Mr. Everett Wakai at Everett.wakai@mail.doc.gov Tel: +33(0) 1 43 12 20 45; Fax: +33 (0) 1 43 12 21 72.

The Trade and Tourism Mission will visit Lyon and Paris. Companies from the food processing, metal products, log home, mega yacht, energy products, and tourism industries will be present in the delegation of thirty. In each city, Maine and French companies will participate in matchmaking meetings and a special reception, hosted by the Maine delegation.

The choice of France for this important Mission emphasizes the interest the State has in increasing the French visitors to their State.

For the past three years, Maine has been active in the French outbound tourism market through its Paris-based representative Nancy Masse of N.M. Marketing. Maine boasts the largest francophone community in the U.S. and has strong cultural and historical ties to France and the Acadian heritage of its neighbor Canada.

What could be more contradictory and unwelcome than modern marketing in the traditional and conservative French wine industry?

An American doing marketing for the French wine industry. Worse than that?

An American woman doing marketing for the French wine industry.

And yet, the current crisis has pushed the industry so far into hostile territory that what was once unthinkable is now considered a positive and creative solution.

Having lived in Europe for thirteen years, of which three have been spent in Paris, I decided to create Terravina after experiencing firsthand the rudimentary (or nonexistent) nature of the marketing services available to the majority of companies in the wine industry. My knowledge of wine marketing in the USA & UK, combined with my French industry experience meant that the connection, for me, was obvious. However, this is an industry in crisis, and the concept of consumer-driven marketing is in its infancy – not an easy state of affairs for a new company trying to make its mark and convince wineries that have been doing things the same way for generations, that perhaps it’s time to change the way they work.

Having worked and studied in France (at LVMH and INSEAD, respectively), I have plenty of experience with the culture shock of doing business in France, although the wine industry’s lack of consumer focus still came as quite a surprise! Much of my job consists of helping American wineries navigate the murky waters of the French market, and helping French wineries to adopt a more American approach to marketing, and to become more sensitive and responsive to their clients and consumers. Seeing the rush of clients I’ve had ever since the day I opened my doors, it is evident that the wine industries on both sides of the Atlantic are seeking out this kind of bi-cultural service, most especially in France, where American-style marketing techniques are in great demand.

Can it work? Absolutely! Mouton Rothschild is a great example of a French company that has embraced US style marketing techniques with huge success. With Mouton Cadet, their combination of brand building, publicity and PR (a large part of which is assured by the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild herself), has created one of the few successful French wine brands with international recognition, selling more than 75% of their 15 million bottles on the export market. In addition, Opus One – a California-based joint venture between Robert Mondavi and the Baroness – has proved that the combination of French and American business in the wine industry can provide the recipe for an astonishing success story.

Jaime Araujo founded Terravina, providing marketing and communications consulting for the wine industry, after working for Moët Hennessy in Austria, London and Paris. She started learning about wine at her family’s winery in California and has studied enology in Bordeaux, London and California. E-mail: info@terravina.fr