Wine promotions usually start with the bottle. Come Over October starts with the occasion.
The campaign, launching in New Zealand for the first time this October, encourages retailers, wine producers, hospitality businesses, and consumers to put more emphasis on getting people together over food, conversation, and, where appropriate, wine.
For retailers, that creates a different starting point.
Instead of leading with discounts, participating stores are encouraged to use shelf presence, in-store materials, EDMs, and social content to remind shoppers why they might be buying wine in the first place.
That could be dinner with friends, a family gathering, or a casual meal at home.
Come Over October began in the United States in 2024 and was founded by wine writer Karen MacNeil, Gino Colangelo, and wine communications specialist Kimberly Noelle Charles.
In its second year, it activated across more than 1,400 stores in 43 markets.
The New Zealand campaign will be much smaller initially, with organisers taking an opt-in approach and allowing businesses to use the material in ways that suit their own customers.
“We don’t want to run a sales campaign, we want to encourage people to start a habit, or get back to it, of intentionally connecting with one another,” said Brent Eddy of Homefields Wine, who is coordinating the New Zealand campaign.
From a retail perspective, the useful part of the idea is that a social occasion rarely sits within one category.
A shopper planning dinner with friends may also be buying fresh food, snacks, cheese, dessert, or other drinks. Wine becomes part of a wider basket rather than a standalone purchase.
That is particularly relevant as changing drinking habits continue to affect the category. More moderation-minded behaviour does not automatically remove wine from the occasion, but it can change how much is purchased and the role it plays.
Wellington retailer Regional Wines is among the New Zealand businesses supporting the launch.
The campaign will run throughout October, with free assets available for businesses wanting to take part. For retailers, the question is whether occasion-led messaging can do something price promotion cannot: give the shopper another reason to put wine in the basket in the first place.
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