The 2022/3 season marks the first opportunity for new NFL official wine partner E & J Gallo to use the tie-up as part of its strategy to ‘demystify wine for new consumers as the conglomerate’s Barefoot brand activated its parent company rights around kickoff through an integrated campaign called ‘Game Day Your Way’.
The campaign, which, according to the brand was developed over nine months, officially launched in late August ahead of the start of the season.
Wine and football are so easy to enjoy—wine not enjoy them together?! Kick off the first @NFL game day of the season with surprises that’ll have you cheers-ing even after the final whistle blows Learn more at: https://t.co/sI99OmjnFC pic.twitter.com/J46XN7o8rD
— barefootwine (@BarefootWine) September 8, 2022
The activation was spearheaded by a comic hero spot, which rolled out from 27 September and came in 30- and 15-second versions, set at a home watchparty and revolving around a coach’s motivational speech given by actor ambassador Patrick Warburton and referencing the potentially complicated relationship between football and wine.
As the creative copy mentions: “Wine like football can be complicated. But whether it’s a complex formation or flavour profile, you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy either. Wine and football might be complex, but enjoying them together is easy. With our diverse wineup, there’s something for every fan to cheer(s) with!”
A further activation strand was a digital list-building, ticket giveaway initiative which invited viewers/fans to ‘game plan for your next homegate with us and enter for your chance to win NFL tickets’ which rolled out in September.
Want to cheer(s) on your favorite team IRL? Enter for your chance to win the ultimate @NFL experience and see the official rules at https://t.co/2ohp6ww1G0 pic.twitter.com/Hf3DC1aht9
— barefootwine (@BarefootWine) September 22, 2022
The experience focused activation, which runs until 11 November, states that “Nothing beats spending game day at the stadium. That’s why we’re hooking fans up with the chance to win the ultimate experience, including travel, tickets, and stadium concessions!” and is hosted on a bespoke web platform.
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E&J Gallo Winery is a conglomerate which owns popular brands Apothic and William Hill Estate, but it was its Barefoot brand that was given the chance to roll out the debut campaign for the NFL’s new official wine sponsor.
On the signing of the deal, Gallo Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Gallo said that she sees the multi-year partnership as offering multiple opportunities for growth and argues that it will be transformative in creating more inclusivity in the wine sphere and help Gallo engage new consumers and persuade them to choose wine over other beverages.
“For us as an organization and category leader, it’s to continue our quest that started in 1933 to make wine more accessible and to democratize wine,” outlined Gallo. “It’s really important for us to align ourselves with a partner like the NFL, which has over 190 million consumers at its core fanbase.”
We’re thrilled to announce that we’re now the official wine sponsor of the @NFL. We’re excited to join the NFL family and bring new friends to wine! pic.twitter.com/tEViNln6we
— Life at Gallo (@lifeatgallo) June 8, 2022
Wine & Football = The Perfect Pairing pic.twitter.com/26SIsmvYxy
— Life at Gallo (@lifeatgallo) August 19, 2022
The sponsorship comes after recent shifts in the NFL’s approach to alcohol marketing – such as its tie-up with spirits giant Diageo’s whisky brand Crown Royal which rolled out a 2022/3 campaign called ‘Minute To Kickoff’ at the start of the 2022/3 season – which has seen the NFL separate its beer, wine and spirits categories in 2021.
Gallo’s NFL tie-up followed on from the league’s initial 2019 wine sponsorship with Anheuser-Busch canned wine brand Babe which activated through work such as a ‘Football-Scented Candle Range’ and ‘Oddball Game Day Gadgets’.
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