Gallo of Sonoma Is the Toast of Ad World

Ads: E&J; Gallo Winery’s new print campaign to reintroduce its upscale Gallo of Sonoma wines

Agency: Foote, Cone & Belding, San Francisco

Marketing challenge: Overcome Gallo’s image as a producer of inexpensive jug wines. The winery introduced the wine in 1995 to disappointing results. It had tinkered with the name and formula.

Solution: Two third-generation members of the Gallo clan appear in separate advertisements that tap into the aspirations parents have for their children. Declaring Gallo of Sonoma a “new generation” of wines, the ads show Matt Gallo and-or Gina Gallo in a lush vineyard with the statement, “Every family wants the children to do better than the parents,” and the response, “So how are we doing?” The ads use Gallo heritage while announcing that the grandchildren, who work at the company, have brought winemaking to a new level.

Result: Getting consumers to overlook Gallo’s image as a maker of jug wines is no easy task. The ads back up the assertion of taking winemaking to a new level by noting that Gallo of Sonoma, which retails for about $10 a bottle, has won several industry awards. The ads are believable intellectually and emotionally. $$$

*

Ads are rated $ to $$$, based in probable effectiveness and tastefulness, with $$$ being the highest.