QANTAS offers passengers a 'Good Paw'

Guide Dogs Queensland is celebrating a marketing milestone following news its recently released wine label ‘Good Paw’ has been snapped-up by the nation’s largest carrier, Qantas.

Customers travelling on selected Qantas domestic services will be offered ‘Good Paw’ Shiraz throughout December and January, one of the industry’s busiest periods for holiday travellers.

Consumers and/or retailers keen to purchase either ‘Good Paw’ Sauvignon Blanc or ‘Good Paw’ Shiraz can contact Guide Dogs Queensland’s Wine Club on 1800 007 460 or download the order form here.

Guide Dogs Queensland CEO Chris Laine said the charity is excited about the opportunity afforded to its fledgling label, and hopes the exposure will generate retailer interest and sales.

“We are extremely grateful to Qantas for embracing what we believe is a unique cause-related marketing initiative which benefits the airline, its passengers and a much-loved charity.

“We would love all domestic travellers flying Qantas over the next couple of months to request ‘Good Paw’, and if as expected they enjoy the drop, to ask for it in stores or buy it from GDQ.”

Developed exclusively for GDQ by Australia’s ‘Winery of the Year’, Tyrrell’s Wines in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, ‘Good Paw’ features a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2009 Shiraz.

Both drops, which are available to purchase through the charity, have received solid reviews from critics including two of the world’s leading authorities on local wines, James Halliday and Max Allen.

Wine writer for the Weekend Australian Magazine and author of The Future Makers, Australian Wines for the 21st Century, Mr Allen praised the ‘Good Paw’ Shiraz for its array of flavours:

“This approachable, friendly red has lots of good berry fruit flavours and a lick of spicy perfume. Juicy and medium-bodied in the mouth, it has a lingering aftertaste of smooth vanilla,” he said.

Whilst Mr Halliday, a respected wine critic, vigneron and author of the definitive guide to Australian wine James Halliday Australian Wine Companion, was similarly full of praise:

“The wine has good colour, and has a powerful, full-bodied palate, with abundant black fruit flavours…”.

‘Good Paw’ is a new venture for Guide Dogs Queensland which is actively pursuing alternative income streams to attract funds at a time when donors are struggling with rising household debt.
Proceeds from sales will go toward the $30,000 needed to train and place every Guide Dog.

The charity has been applauded by marketing groups for thinking outside the square. Australian Marketing Institute CEO, Mark Crowe said nonprofits have to think laterally in this economy.

“The donation drought affecting charities has been well documented. Gifts, bequests, investments and donations are increasingly difficult to obtain. If charities are to be effective in the current economic climate, they will need to implement clever and creative strategies, not unlike this one.”

Consumers and/or retailers keen to purchase either ‘Good Paw’ Sauvignon Blanc or ‘Good Paw’ Shiraz can contact Guide Dogs Queensland’s Wine Club on 1800 007 460 or download the order form here.