Come Over October Is Driving Wine Conversations — And Sales
By Kathleen Willcox
Come Over October (COO) was launched in May 2024 as a grassroots movement designed to celebrate the social and communal aspects of moderate wine consumption, but it has since taken on a life of its own.
“It clearly struck a chord,” says Colangelo & Partners President Gino Colangelo, who is co-founder of COO with best-selling author and wine journalist Karen MacNeil, and fellow public relations and Charles Communications Founder Kimberly Noelle Charles. The trio has also launched a larger initiative, Come Together: A Community for Wine, as a “gathering place” for wine lovers around the world. Through the company and its activities, they hope to tell the story of wine’s role as a beverage that brings people together. All three professionals are donating their time and efforts to the company, its projects and its events.
“All three of us were becoming increasingly concerned that the narrative about wine’s historical role in society — as something that can foster connections and friendships, as well as enhance food — was being lost,” he says.
Indeed, it is hard to pick up a wine publication these days that doesn’t highlight the precipitous decline in sales or consumption, or to read a general interest newspaper that isn’t issuing stark warnings about the negative health consequences of wine consumption. (The relative veracity of those warnings is another story; here is a good place to start getting the other side of the story).
The Quick Embrace of a Great Idea
The inspiration for COO began after MacNeil posted a video on Instagram titled, “Why I Hate Dry January.” The response — and backlash — was swift. It was so intense, MacNeil says, she realized that the narrative around wine had “devolved into a discussion around alcohol. But wine is so much more than alcohol.”
She did what many of us do when we’re upset and we don’t know how to get to the root of the problem. MacNeil did research, and she took a walk with her dog, turning it over in her head.
The idea to create a campaign that celebrated the positive aspects of wine coalesced, and she did the other thing many of us do when we’ve finally arrived at a solution to a problem, but need help implementing it. MacNeil called her friends. Colangelo and Charles had been observing the anti-alcohol narrative with equal dismay, and jumped at the chance to tackle the broader issues with a simple, positive message.
“It’s easy to kvetch and complain about how young people aren’t adopting wine, and how moderate consumption has come under fire in the media,” Colangelo says. “And it’s hard to take all of that on at once. But the brilliance of Karen’s idea was to share the uncontroversial message that sharing a glass of wine with a friend is not only a way to connect, it’s a way to bridge a gap between people amid the isolation and divisiveness that we’re seeing.”
The trio is donating their time to promote COO and recruit others to do the same. They initially didn’t know how much of an impression their foray into positivity would make, but by simply reaching out to their considerable network of contacts, sharing their mission and launching a social media handle, their impact was substantial — even before COO’s official kickoff earlier this month.
“In all honesty, I don’t think there’s a part of the wine world that has not shown enthusiasm,” MacNeil says. “Small wineries, big wineries, importers, distributors, retailers, wine trade groups of all sizes, and of course consumers themselves. It has been very collaborative. And everyone has asked: ‘What can I do to help?’”
An Island of Positivity in a Sea of Negativity
Since launching, COO has reached 1.7 billion people between articles on the movement in print and digital, donated advertising and social media campaigns.
“It has reached more people than I could have imagined,” MacNeil says. “I believe it touched people’s hearts. The world is so divisive right now in so many ways, and much of what has been written about wine in the last year has been demoralizing, depressing and negative. Come Over October dropped into that bleak zeitgeist like a bolt of fresh thinking, renewal and positivity.”
But COO has done more than just make people feel good.
“The impact has been dependent on how much each supporter has done to promote it in their stores, wineries and online,” Colengelo notes. “I have definitely heard about sales bumps anecdotally in stores such as Buy Rite, where they activated COO with in-store signage and on social media. Businesses including Kroger, Constellation and Total Wine are using it to send positive messages about wine while also driving business and sales internally.”
Total Wine’s CMO Keith Colbourn says that the synergy between the company and COO’s paradigm inspired them to create a comprehensive marketing plan based on the message of “connecting people through joyful experiences.” The company created in-store video and audio messages in support of COO, designed a full signage package and launched a social media and email campaign.
“Our website features a dedicated page with product recommendations and inspiring themes for celebrating Come Over October, such as wines that pair great with pizza, or bold, moody wines ideal for a Halloween movie night,” Coulbourn says. “We’ve also engaged our team members to educate them on the campaign and help spread the word, so that we can foster meaningful connections with customers right in our store aisles.”
A Real Impact on Sales
Wine groups are also seeing a boost in sales. At the family-owned and -operated Jackson Family Wines, chairman and proprietor Barbara Banke says they joined the COO movement because they share similar values, and a vision for the future of the industry and its role in society.
“I get excited about initiatives like Come Over October that reinforce all the positive aspects of wine,” Banke says. “We can’t lose sight of the cultural and economic contributions the wine industry makes to society.”
Jackson Family Wines developed an integrated marketing campaign to reach regional audiences across radio, print and social media. The campaign included local radio spots throughout October, as well as partnerships with influencers to get the word out. Jackson Family Wines also hosted events at three of its wineries: Kendall-Jackson, La Crema and Freemark Abbey.
“All of the events sold out within a matter of days,” Banke says. “As of today [October 23], we have seen more than 1,800 visitors at our events and at nine of our estate tasting rooms where we’re offering complimentary tastings this month.”
Bringing people together
Cynthia Lohr, co-owner and chief brand officer of Paso Robles’ J. Lohr, says that she and the rest of the winery management team has embraced COO “as a chance to open the conversation about the role that wine plays in bringing people together.”
After activating a number of well-received events and specials — including inviting locals to come out and meet the Lohr family and wine team at the J. Lohr San Jose Wine Center for a social evening out on October 23, complimentary pours of their latest releases, flat-rate shipping specials all month long and bonus sample pours for booked flights at tasting rooms, the company has decided to embrace the spirit of COO all year long.
“We plan to announce other ongoing initiatives to encourage open access to wines and conversation,” Lohr says, adding that they will be announced soon.
The October social campaign has wrapped up, but like Lohr, the COO founders see their outreach extending well beyond one month’s worth of activations.
“Together we will launch COO again next October, and we are also considering launching a Spring campaign as well, possibly in April,” says MacNeil. “We want to hear from wine lovers and supporters to determine if a Spring campaign would be met with the kind of success that the October campaign has received.”
If early reports are any indication, a second Come Over campaign would be a welcome addition to all our calendars.
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To learn more about Come Over October and others initiatives boosting the wine industry in these challenging times, visit the Campaigns & Initiatives page on Wine Industry Advisor.
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Kathleen Willcox
Kathleen Willcox writes about wine, food and culture from her home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She is keenly interested in sustainability issues, and the business of making ethical drinks and food. Her work appears regularly in Wine Searcher, Wine Enthusiast, Liquor.com and many other publications. Kathleen also co-authored a book called Hudson Valley Wine: A History of Taste & Terroir, which was published in 2017. Follow her wine explorations on Instagram at @kathleenwillcox
