• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, February 21, 2022

Would you believe a winery giving out free snakes as an incentive to purchase its product?

Since the stated minimum purchase for this reward is 100,000 cases, we certainly don’t.

But when you’ve got Elizabeth Banks, co-owner and chief creative officer of Archer Roose Wines, announcing the incentive in a :30 video, maybe it doesn’t matter.

“Running a sustainably sourced wine business is about giving back,” Banks explains in the spot. “We believe wine can make the world a better place, and you deserve the snake of your dreams.”

The promotion itself sure looks real. It’s got its own website at archerroose.com/snakerewards, complete with photos of six potential snake gifts, and some simple rules:

“1. Call 1-855-3SNAKES to place your order of 100,000 cases of wine.

2. Expect your snake to arrive in three to 25 business days.

3. Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of the finest luxury wine in cans. And a snake.”

There are also the prerequisite FAQs, including:

“Q: How long do snakes live?

A: Great question. In perfect conditions, adult snakes live anywhere from 20 to 30 years. So you'll get to spend a lot of quality time with your new friend.”

Drill down on the page, though, and you’ll see the following words in small type: “This program is for entertainment purposes only.”

Which proves nothing to us, since snakes can certainly be entertaining!

And, speaking of entertaining, Archer Roose’s CCO has been delivering in that vein since actor/director Banks bought into the seven-year-old canned wine company last May. Her first humorous commercials, starting with Banks crashing unexpectedly in CEO Marian Leitner-Waldman’s house, launched last May, with Boston agency Colossus handling creative and Kingston, NY’s Dragon360 media.

The canned wine market, like other non-beer canned alcoholic beverages, has been booming in recent years. A report released last May from Grand View Research valued the global canned wine market at $211.4 million in 2020, projecting a compound annual growth rate of 13.2% through 2028.

Archer Roose positions its canned wines as “Luxury Wine. In Cans” The wines come in Bubbly, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Rosé and Rodi Rosé.