Wine advertising most often presents an unattainable, aspirational lifestyle that is only approachable to the snooty few who embrace a higher standard of living. Archer Roose is not that type of wine. Part of making wine accessible is forgoing the traditional aspirational lifestyle approach and trying to relate to Archer Roose consumers where they are. The canned brand is on a mission to democratize luxury wine and forge that connection using humor. It prefers to speak to its audience like a friend—albeit a friend who is a beautiful, yet relatable comedienne who gives zero f*cks. and to us, it’s an invitation to have a deeper relationship.
Archer Roose co-owner, investor, and Chief Creative Officer Elizabeth Banks is the spokesperson for the brand, and the actress/director turns on just the right amount of weird and wacky to turn traditional ad tactics on their head. In other words, snakes.
Connecting with your audience is fundamentally what a rewards program is all about.
In a non-traditional approach to brand reward programs, we launched Archer Roose’s ludicrous and highly effective “Snake Rewards Program” on the eve of the 2023 Super Bowl. The promotion offered a free snake to anyone who purchased 100,000 cases of wine.
It leaked with a cryptic, toll-free hotline on social media that prompted consumers to call 1-855-3SNAKES, where they received a pre-recorded message teasing the program.
The campaign launched on February 14 with a video starring Banks. It appeared on the company’s website, emails, blog, and social media (organic and paid on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Visitors were directed to the website archerroose.com/snakerewards, where they learned the details of the program and browsed the impressive display of deadly snakes available (while supplies last.)
In the launch video, Banks sits fireside and plays her role as if the pairing of premium wine and a poisonous reptile were completely normal.
“Running a sustainably sourced wine business is about giving back— that’s why I’m proud to announce Archer Rose’s latest promotion,” the star of Cocaine Bear, 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Hunger Games series says while handling a snake. “For every 100,000 cases of wine you buy, you’ll be sent a complimentary, live snake. Because we believe wine can make the world a better place. And you deserve the snake of your dreams.” In another, she simply smiles and hand models a reptile, channeling her inner Vanna White. A super appears and reads “Become a snake owner.” Banks also promoted the program to her 5.6 million followers on social media in an effort to further blur fiction with reality.
A week later, a second video featuring Banks was released. With her title now changed to “Former Rewards Program Manager,”she sits stoically behind a desk and apologizes for the legally murky rewards program. Without admitting fault, she announces in true corporate-speak that the Snake Giveaway is being replaced with “a reptile-free rewards program,” one that offers discounts on the wine along with Archer Roose-branded merchandise and other perks. She concludes with, “Thank you, and God Bless America.”
Overall, the campaign involved 23 original pieces of creative.
Massive Results
Bonus Results
