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. $$$

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