• by Les Luchter , October 18, 2021

Fetzer, a California winery best known for its Gewürztraminer, will double the spend on its annual Thanksgiving campaign, its largest ever -- and the first executed by its creative/media agency for the past six months, Cutwater.

While Fetzer has traditionally emphasized holiday group get-togethers, that began to change last year with a pandemic-era shift to “more intimate settings, given recommendations that holiday occasions be observed with caution,” vice president of marketing Rachel Newman told Marketing Daily.

Newman said that now, “broader cultural and food trends…invited a more diverse and eclectic approach to this year’s holiday season…We’re taking a page from our consumers and reconsidering how this classic holiday looks.”

Hence, the new “Here’s to #Friendsgiving” campaign -- targeted largely at millennials and starting Nov. 1 – will include such settings as a meat-free Thanksgiving and a socially distanced potluck.

Fifteen-second social media videos start off with such text as  “pairs with pad thai” and “pairs with saag paneer,” and then follow respectively on-screen with “and your friend that visited Thailand once and ‘spiritually’ never left” and “and friends that swear meditation is worth it.”

Point-of-sale signage material asks, “What will you bring to the table?”

A sweepstakes launching Nov. 11 will be promoted via short social media teasers, announcements and reminders. The prize will be a $500 gift card so that the winner can, for example,  “party with friends AND skip Aunt Mable's famous mystery casserole.” Since the entry deadline is Nov. 30, with the winner to be announced Dec. 15, we can only assume that Aunt Mable’s dish is a Christmas, not Thanksgiving, tradition.

Cutwater also promises other digital ads and influencer activations.

“While we are not yet back to ‘normal’ as a nation, here at Fetzer, we’re mindful of the burgeoning sense of hope and optimism in the air,” said Newman.

Earlier this year, in introducing an overall tagline, “Building a better tomorrow, since 1968,” Fetzer stressed a history of sutainability, adding B Corp, TRUE Zero Waste and CarbonNeutral certifications to new product packaging.

Along with its Gewürztraminer, Fetzer wines include a California Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Rieslin, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. All are priced at $10 or under.