Neural signatures in wine tourism advertising: images of cellars versus vineyards

Purpose Increasing competition within wine tourism calls for more effective market communication, with appealing advertising content to attract potential winery visitors. Given the limitations of self-report data, neuroscience techniques help objectively assess the neuronal correlates of engagement behaviour and the memorization of certain product stimuli. This study aims to evaluate neural processing differences when visualizing more wine-focused cellar and more landscape-focused vineyard experiences. Design/methodology/approach Brain responses to promotional wine tourism stimuli were assessed through electroencephalography, while 12 participants visualized images of wine cellars and vineyards in two separate slideshows. Theta and beta frequency bands of the electroencephalography and their possible neural sources were evaluated, because of their involvement in memory and attentional processes, respectively. Findings The results of this study showed an asymmetrical hemispheric activation both in the theta and beta frequency bands, with enhanced activity on the left hemisphere when visualizing cellars and globally higher activation on the right hemisphere for the vineyards. Additionally, frontal theta activity and occipital beta activity were enhanced while viewing vineyards, compared to cellars. Together, results suggest that the vineyards’ scenario may trigger greater attentional saliency, as well as greater memorability of the observed images. Research limitations/implications The results suggest that, in addition to having more attentional saliency, the vineyards are probably more memorable than wine cellars when used in visual wine tourism advertisements. However, the present lab experiment may not fully reflect real-world wine tourism experiences. Despite the relevance of physical experiencescape, future research should explore on-site experiences. While vineyard images showed more attention and memorability-impacting processing, actual memory effects were not tested. The small sample size limits conclusions and testing of variables like age or gender. Larger, more diverse studies in different cultural and geographic contexts are needed to validate and expand on findings. Practical implications These findings emphasize the potential of using vineyard imagery in wine tourism marketing to attract customers and create memorable experiences. Additionally, outdoor experiences, especially after COVID, may have a stronger appeal than traditional cellar visits. This study also supports the role of terroir, the expectation of an overall experience at the wine destination, with cultural landscapes, that should be used for appealing, co-creative activities and immersive experiences like hiking through vineyards or outdoors workshops. Strong wine tourism appeal additionally boosts wine sales and branding, preserving regional identity and fostering sustainable wine region development. Social implications Through improved wine tourism marketing, more visitors will be attracted and engage with local culture and consume local wines and other products, thus enhancing local and regional identity, preserving unique heritage values and potentially fostering visitors’ attachment to the place, leading to longer stays, repeat visits and recommendations. This may additionally strengthen social ties and contribute to more socially sustainable tourism by promoting positive relationships and shared experiences between locals and tourists. Local communities in rural wine regions benefit from additional economic opportunities, from new social and cultural dynamics and identity reinforcement. Originality/value This study goes beyond analysing self-report data for evaluating advertising images and applies an experimental neuroscientific approach to understand the brain processes when visualizing stimuli from wine tourism advertising and to infer about the impact of certain image stimuli, specifically regarding the experiencescape in wine tourism, distinguishing indoors versus outdoors settings.