• by Larissa Faw , April 2, 2019

While most wine brands are trying to attract millennials, Franzia is working to keep them from graduating from boxed to bottle wine.  

Franzia's first creative campaign in over 35 years, developed with Mekanism, plays off the concept of friendship with a new karaoke-esque take on the "Golden Girls" theme song "Thank You For Being A Friend" alongside images of millennials enjoying their lives.

These scenes include up-and-down moments, like hiking through forests, as well as burning a chicken dinner — all include Franzia wine. 

This campaign recognizes that "weird time in your life when you’re trying so hard to be ‘adult’ and go through tons of new experiences but still rely on the familiar — your friends — to get through this new stage of life,” says Matt Stafford, creative director, Mekanism. 

The decision to include the classic TV show theme song as part of the campaign was an obvious one, says Sarah Anderson, associate dreative director at Mekanism. "'Thank You For Being A Friend' is one of those iconic songs about friendship that everyone knows. Not only do the lyrics perfectly detail the ups and downs of lifelong friendships, but if you swap in "Franz" for "friends," you've got an anthem that feels true to Franzia." 

Mekanism’s in-house social media agency, Epic Signal, will also be relaunching the brand’s social media channels and activating an influencer campaign.

A sweepstakes launching in May via the brand's digital channels will award several followers with a Franzia special-edition "music box" that plays a six-second clip of ‘Thank You For Being A Franz’ when you pour a glass. 

As part of the brand refresh, Franzia is modernizing its packaging with color-blocked side panels and new pour images on every box as well as new products, including smaller “Little Franz” boxes.