The Art of Making Milk - Part 2

For a house that normally doesn't grant alot of interviews, the folks at E. & J. Gallo seem to be making the rounds. I had previously opined on certain business practices of this house and the man at the center of most of it was Mr. Gerry Glasgow. It looks like he's back for round two:

"Gerry Glasgow, Gallo vice president of marketing, said the company was pleased with the recognition.

"We think it is significant. It shows the success we've had in the market. The company understands the consumer and develops products consumers are looking for," Glasgow said."

A few years back, they had a bit of an oil problem going on in this country. Truth be known, it's still going on. But anyway, back in the 80's, Chrysler did a little market research and came to the conclusion that the average driver needed to get from one cubicle at home to another cubicle at work. In other words, simple transportation. The result: The K-Car. True, it was what the consumer was looking for, but I'm not sure the word 'significant' applies.

"While the wines use grapes from those countries, they are made to Gallo's specifications based on market research that identifies consumer tastes and market niches."

Could we get a ruling on the use of the word 'niche', please? I think the phrase 'market niches' to mean one area of the country is partial to the nuances of Sancerre or the subtleties of Pouilly-Fumé, not the differences between the 'McRib' and the 'Monster Thickburger'. (All props to McDonald's and Hardee's repectively for these 'significant' culinary contributions)

I suppose this might explain why Gallo stopped calling me for advice some time back.