The New York Times needs all the revenue sources it can get right now, so it’s licensed its brand to the Global Wine Company and created the New York Times Wine Club. This is a good thing, and not only because it brings money into the NYT’s coffers: it’s also the first such wine club I’ve seen which works in a non-evil manner.
Yes, like other wine clubs, you can sign up to receive a shipment of wine every 1, 2, or 3 months. But unlike any other wine club I’ve seen, you can also simply order a single shipment of wine, without then having to opt out of getting future shipments automatically.
I have no idea whether these wines are any good, or worth the money. But I do know that any “club” which doesn’t try to lock you in to a subscription is breath of fresh air.
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3 comments so far
hysterical. NYT is copying Donald Trump in branding. Interesting move.. divided on whether people associate the NYT with the higher things in life or consumers will laugh. Personally, I would be more interested in ordering wines a critic picks… one that seems to mirror my tastes.
- Posted by SechelWould you feel the same way if Robert Parker started a wine club? Probably not too good. Doesn’t the co-branding constitute an endorsement by the critic? When the critic actually picks the wines, the endorsement raises potential conflicts of interest; when the critic does not pick the wines, which is probably the case with the NYT, then the publication has no business lending it’s credibility to the club. What’s the point, Felix?
- Posted by maynardGkeynesIronically, as I read this in this morning’s NYT an advertising insert for the WSJ Wine Club fell out of my paper!
- Posted by Rockfish