2 OFFICES     1 TEAM     1 INDUSTRY

ABOUT BENSON

Benson is a leading wine and spirits marketing agency in the United States, with offices in Napa Valley and New York.

Since 2000, we have worked with iconic wine and spirits companies, launched new brands, and even helped introduce and build whole alcohol beverage categories.

Our vision is to be the preeminent wine and spirits marketing agency. In 2005 we opened an office in New York and over the years our wine and spirits marketing services have evolved to incorporate digital marketing and advertising, media partnerships, influencer partnerships, and advocacy marketing to better serve our clients. With a cross-cultural perspective and a collaborative team approach, our goal has never been to be the biggest, but to be the best at what we do.

Benson New York Office

1 TEAM, 2 OFFICES

Working as one team, Benson’s offices in the dynamic, epicurean markets of New York City and Napa Valley — coupled with our virtual communications skill set–allow us to keep our finger on the pulse of influencers in the U.S.

VIEW BLOG STORIES

1

WINE & SPIRITS FOCUS

Our love for non-traditional marketing and great storytelling–and for all things vinous and spirituous–propels some of the industry’s best-known brands.

VIEW CLIENTS

2

INTEGRATED MARKETING

Clients benefit from cross-functional account teams composed of specialists in branding, PR, social media, digital advertising and advocacy marketing.  Our combination of industry focus and service integration drives Benson’s average client engagement of four years.

TEAM BENSON

Benson’s vision is to create the preeminent global wine and spirits marketing agency.

To get there, the agency pursues a simple people strategy, the “Upward Spiral.” The agency adds truly outstanding people to our account teams, who deliver stellar results, which attract the right clients and allow us to expand and evolve. This self-reinforcing strategy influences every aspect of the company.

Jeremy Benson
President

Benson founded the agency in 2000 and directs client strategy and creative development. He speaks frequently at industry conferences and university seminars on digital media, direct marketing and brand marketing.

Prior to starting Benson Marketing Group, he was brand manager and export sales manager at Franciscan Estates, and marketing director for the Napa Valley Vintners Association which brought him from Los Angeles to Napa. While in LA, he managed PR campaigns for LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton brands including Domaine Chandon, Moet & Chandon, Hennessy Cognac, and Tanqueray.

Benson holds an MBA from the University of Southern California and a BA from Occidental College, both in Los Angeles.

Sample of Industry Boards and Speaking Engagements:

  • Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine & Food Science, UC Davis: Former Board of Executives
  • UC Davis Wine Executive Program: Past Marketing Seminar Lecturer
  • Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium: Past Chairman, Current Steering Committee Member
  • University of California at Davis, Board of Visitors & Fellows: Former Director

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002 Ext 2

Thea Schlendorf
Vice President

Drawing on her experience working with Italian, Spanish and Portuguese brands, Schlendorf coordinates media outreach, story pitching projects, trade promotions and social media campaigns that garner attention for a diverse array of wines and vineyards. She also brings a tenacious and organized hand to wine events for press and trade.

Schlendorf joined Benson’s New York office in 2008 from Winebow, a successful wine importer and distributor located in New York. Working in the education department, Schlendorf developed training materials to help the sales team and buyers better understand and sell the company’s broad portfolio of brands. Schlendorf is a Certified Specialist of Wine, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, and graduated with a BA in history and economics from Colgate University.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002, EXT 1

Sarah Jones
Vice President

Jones leads a variety of marketing efforts, developing strategy and executing tactics to create buzz for clients and their products. She has a keen interest in market place trends, what people are drinking and how they are spending their free time. Thinking like an editor, Jones has a knack for developing appealing storylines that resonate with writers and result in ink for the agency’s clients.

Prior to joining the agency, Jones worked for Robert Mondavi Corporation’s headquarters in Napa where she coordinated media campaigns for the company’s wine brands. She graduated from Boston College.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002 EXT 10

Alexzandria Parker
Account Coordinator

Alexzandria joined Benson Marketing Group in the fall of 2019 with experience in public relations, social media marketing and special events. Prior to Benson, she worked at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, New York, in the marketing and communications department for international events. Prior to that, she interned at Nike Communications where she honed her skills on pitches, press releases, and placements at well-known broadcast and online publications. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in Communications with a focus in English and Journalism.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002 EXT 12

Marie Christina Batich
Account Executive

Batich joined the agency in fall 2019, bringing an array of public relations, influencer marketing, media tours, and sponsorship experience from the luxury lifestyle food & beverage space.Prior to Benson, she worked for importers such as Kobrand and Remy Cointreau, and agencies including Sopexa and Bullfrog & Baum. Her brand experience includes top tier Champagne Houses, Ketel One Vodka (and the launch of Ketel One Botanical), Gérard Bertrand Winery, as well as a bevy of French & Italian wine trade councils including Cognac, Loire Valley, Burgundy and Brachetto d’Acqui.

When there’s spare time, you might find her mystery shopping in retailers to keep a finger on the pulse of what consumers are looking for and where they get their information. Batich graduated with a BA in speech communications and rhetorical studies from Hofstra University.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002, EXT 15

Susan Benson
Finance Manager

Since 2007, Susan has managed the agency’s accounts payables and receivables, cashflow, and client expense accounts. She coordinates a range of different domestic and international accounts the agency uses to fund operations and client campaigns. Prior to joining the agency, she managed winemaking and vineyard rojects as Pahlmeyer Winery’s first full-time employee, in Napa Valley. Her finance career began in Los Angeles at First Interstate Bancorp, managing corporate and municipal debt obligations, and she continued in that role later in the bank’s San Francisco department. She has a B.A. in History from the University of Redlands, in southern California.
Telephone: +1 917.633.6002 EXT 11

Tara Randall

Tara Randall
Account Executive

Tara joined the agency’s Napa Valley office in early 2020, and runs social media and digital marketing campaigns for the agency’s brand clients. Programs range from content development and community management, to digital advertising and influencer marketing. Clients are both U.S.-based and international.

Prior to joining Benson, Tara ran digital marketing for the brands produced by Scheid Vineyards in California’s Central Coast. She focused on content creation, advertising, web management and SEO. Prior to that she ran her own SEO consultancy. Tara graduated from IUPUI, Indiana University-Purdue University, studying psychology, music technology and journalism.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002 EXT 4

Ron DeAngelis
IT Consultant

DeAngelis is a seasoned Information Technology executive based in Silicon Valley that has been working with startup companies for over 20 years. Ron and his team manage Benson’s technology resources and infrastructure, spanning three offices and a range of different applications for the agency and its clients. Ron graduated from San Jose State University with a BS degree in Business Administration/Finance and Communications. He founded and has led Jump Start Technology, an IT consulting firm headquartered in Mountain View, CA, for more than 15 years.

Ron’s prior experience includes managing IT at C-Cube Microsystems (as it grew from 150 to 1200 employees with offices worldwide in less than 3 years), Novell, and Franklin-Templeton.

Telephone: +1 650.949.0667

Lauren Liebler
Account Coordinator

Lauren joined the agency in early 2021 with five years experience in marketing communications. Prior to Benson, she worked at an agency specializing in travel and tourism with clients in the Caribbean and Florida. There, she secured valuable coverage and supported teams in winning multiple awards for integrated marketing campaigns. She also brings experience from the Miami headquarters of Southern Wine & Spirits where she worked in the public relations department and gained knowledge of the industry.

Lauren graduated with a B.S. in Communication from University of Miami and received a M.S. in Marketing at American University.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002, EXT 9

ARE YOU READY TO JOIN OUR TEAM?

If you are inspired by how our strategy supports our vision, we invite you to review our current openings.

CURRENT OPENINGS

AGENCY NEWS

Redwood Empire Whiskey and Benson "Drink Among Giants"
The fast-growing Redwood Empire Whiskey brand, part of Purple Brands, has joined the Benson client roster to raise awareness of the exciting California whiskey named after the state's ancient, majestic Redwoods.
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Lance Winters, Dave Smith at St. George Spirits distillery
America's Original Craft Distillery Taps Benson
Often referred to as "iconic" and "pioneering," St. George Spirits has started working with Benson to bring more attention to the distillery's imaginative spirits portfolio.
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Benson Named to "Power List" of Agencies
We're grateful that Meininger's named Benson to its "Power List" of top 10 U.S wine and spirits agencies, along with our respected peers. But it won't go to our heads. Promise. We interpret Roger Voss' article as inspiration to continue improving how we convey the fascinating stories behind our clients and the wine and spirits they create.
Read more
Crushing it at Napa Wine Co.
Benson is proud to add new digital client, Napa Wine Co., whose custom crush team has incubated dozens of famous wines, launched renowned winemakers, and followed a "leave it better than you found it" approach to the business and community.
Read more
Benson Named a Top Marketing Agency
A blog post by Beverage Trade Network's Somm Choice Awards issued a call for more marketing spending, and named top U.S. agencies for wine, spirits marketing.
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Barton & Guestier
Benson Adds Barton & Guestier, Veuve du Vernay to Roster
The oldest wine house in Bordeaux, Barton & Guestier, has tapped Benson for a communications campaign that includes Veuve du Vernay, the leading French sparkling wine brand in the U.S.
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Chronic Cellars
Chronic Cellars: New Look, Same Attitude
Inspired by the same disruptive approach to traditional wine culture on which Chronic Cellars was founded, the new package communicates a fresh and imaginative take on what it means to make ‘wines with character.’
Read more
Wines of Languedoc Sud de France
Benson Client Languedoc Wines Ends 2020 on High Note
Benson's work with the Wines of Languedoc (CIVL) included an H2 promotion generating $1.36 million in sales, an expansion of SKUs, and new search categories "South of France" and Languedoc's AOPs. Additionally, a pivot to online trade education with Napa Valley Wine Academy included a somm challenge, WSET scholarship, webinar, and regional guide on SevenFifty.com
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Lauren Liebler
Liebler Joins Benson Team
Benson has added PR and MarCom expertise by hiring Lauren Liebler, based on the East Coast, to support existing campaigns.
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