“Come Over October” Against Prohibition

By Ellen Budge, posted on 02 October 2024

It’s an open secret that the United States – and many other countries – are in the grips of a neo-prohibition movement that has the potential to undermine the future of wine consumption. But trade and marketing organisations in the US are fighting back, as evidenced by the ‘Come Over October’ campaign that launches on October 1.

The campaign is the brainchild of two US marketing experts – Gino Colangelo of the namesake New York-based marketing agency and Kimberly Charles in San Francisco – and leading wine author, speaker and consultant Karen MacNeil. Its aim is to celebrate the positive aspects of wine – its cultural, historical, culinary and social contribution to society. This is no typical promotional campaign – there is no budget per se or a specific plan to be executed. It’s more of a grassroots movement to encourage all those who love wine to honour and celebrate it throughout the month of October. And perhaps in some ways to counteract the temperance movement’s Sober October push.

The industry has been brought on board with support expressed throughout the value chain, from retailers, like Total Wine and its 300 stores nationwide, and distributors to producers and trade organisations, including overseas agencies like Wines of South Africa, the Champagne Bureau and Wines of New Zealand. Stakeholders can download creative, messaging and social media assets then take ownership of the intrinsic values of the campaign and use them in a way that suits their own audiences and sensibilities. The aim is to reach out to millions of people in the US.

The importance of promoting wine’s positive attributes cannot be overstated in the current anti-alcohol climate and run-up to the US administration’s revision of the country’s dietary guidelines. “I’m very optimistic that wine will maintain its place on the table as a beautiful drink, but we can’t take anything for granted”, warns Colangelo.