Social media use in a multistage wine business model with the emergence of wine tourism

Purpose This study aims to delve into the transformative role of social media within a multistage business model, spanning from tangible products to intangible services. To illuminate this phenomenon, the authors focus on one of the most esteemed pillars of the wine industry, the Bordeaux Châteaux, renowned for their distinctive and idiosyncratic multi-stage marketing approach. These châteaux have strategically leveraged social media to engage both existing and potential consumers, while maintaining traditional business-to-business relationships with merchants for wine sales and distribution. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative study, the authors delve into the perspective of the Châteaux themselves, supplemented by fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to validate the initial qualitative insights from the consumer standpoint. Findings The findings of this study underscore the transformative potential of social media, revealing how a business-to-business-to-consumer model can spawn a parallel business-to-consumer framework, ushering in a new era of market dynamics. Originality/value Many product-driven businesses have embraced a major shift toward service-centric offerings, integrating social media into a dynamic “pull” marketing paradigm. This evolution is not confined to traditional business-to-business dynamics but extends to complex business-to-business-to-consumer configurations as well. Surprisingly, this multistage marketing metamorphosis, particularly when venturing into novel service territories with the aid of social media, has largely eluded scholarly scrutiny.