E&J Gallo Winery has appointed VaynerMedia Los Angeles as its lead creative agency in the U.S. for the Barefoot Wine brand, the company exclusively shared with Campaign US.
VaynerMedia LA will lead organic social creative for the brand, working with lead PR agency Praytell and Gallo’s other agency partners as needed, said Amy Lund, VP of marketing and media investment at Gallo. It will primarily focus on social media, aiming to gather consumer insights to inform campaign work on and off social.
“Our increased focus on taking the brand to the next level on social media is what drove our decision to add Vayner to the team,” Lund said.
Gallo kicked off the review about a year ago when it sent RFPs to five agencies. It eventually whittled the search down to three contenders before awarding VaynerMedia LA the account two months ago.
Lund declined to name other agencies that pitched and the size of the account in billings.
Jonathan Murtaugh, SVP of client services, will lead a team of 18 employees staffing the account.
Gallo decided to take Barefoot Wine’s creative approach in a different direction with a new agency after finding success on social media as the official wine sponsor of the NFL, Lund said. It recently partnered with Donna Kelce, mother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, on a Super Bowl campaign in which she provides tips on hosting a watch party and pairing dishes with wines.
It chose VaynerMedia partially because of owner Gary Vaynerchuk’s history with Gallo from his experience as a wine content creator and connoisseur, Lund said.
Barefoot Wine and VaynerMedia LA are working towards releasing their debut campaign in June, said Lisa Buckley, managing director.
“We’re looking at social media platforms and how we’re reaching not only their existing people who love Barefoot Wine but also how we can ensure that we’re reaching other audiences that may not have considered Barefoot before,” she said.
from Campaign Live
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