The relationship will give the firms broader reach in the U.S. and Italy and allow them to scale growth in wine and spirits.
SONOMA, Calif. (March 15, 2023)—Balzac Communications and Marketing, a U.S.-based boutique marketing and PR agency that provides bespoke services to luxury clients in food, beverage, fashion and related fields, has reached an agreement with the leading Italian PR agency Zed_Comm to work jointly on future projects. This partnership will allow greater reach for Italian wine producers looking to enter or improve their sales and marketing in the U.S., while providing American consumers better access to something they love: sustainably grown, high quality-for-money Italian wines. The partnership will also allow both firms to compete on a larger scale and grow their portfolio of clients accordingly.
Zed_Comm is a communication, PR, digital and events agency that creates made-to-order, all-inclusive strategies for its clients in wine, beauty, and other industries. Founder Cecilia Zanasi has more than 20 years of experience and leads a small team capable of tackling domestic and international projects. The agency has offices in Verona and Milan.
“We recently organized a gathering of local wine clients to better understand their interests and challenges,” said Zanasi. “There is significant excitement about selling Italian wine in America: people also understand that it’s not easy to enter the market or gain attention when there is so much competition. Having an American partner, especially one with the connections and experience that Balzac has, will provide significant benefits to our clients.”
“The American wine business isn’t easy to navigate, especially if you aren’t used to our esoteric system,” said Mike Wangbickler, president of Balzac Communications and Marketing. “Import brands must figure out how to work within the three-tier system. Once they can legally get their wines into the country, they have to determine how to reach appropriate audiences, build relationships with key media and trade members, and craft stories that resonate with an American audience. All of these are areas where we excel.”
Wangbickler noted that Balzac is a firm led by its values around inclusivity, sustainable growth, transparency and teamwork. Reaching new clients through a smart partnership with a woman-owned firm is very much in line with those values. “We look forward to bringing our expertise to new clients and partnering with Cecilia and her team at Zed_Comm,” Wangbickler said.
About Balzac Communications and Marketing
Balzac Communications and Marketing is a PR and marketing agency based in Sonoma, California, that delivers tailored solutions for clients with values that align with its own. Its mission is to guide clients through the process of achieving their vision and transforming their business through sustainable growth, teamwork, transparency and inclusivity. Leveraging more than 30 years of marketing and public relations experience, it has built solutions and strategies that have saved clients time, decreased costs, built brands and helped sell products faster to key audiences. Balzac serves multiple market segments, including luxury beverages, travel, food, agriculture and land, and public policy and government.
