By Harmeet Singh and Tanya Kostiw 

Just because summer is over, doesn’t mean activities typically associated with the season – like sipping on wine – need to disappear with it.

That’s the premise behind a campaign to support the launch of Two Oceans Wines’ new Moscato varietal in Canada (first in Ontario, with launches in other select provinces to come).

The South African brand kicked off the first run of its “#SipOnSummer” tour with a branded truck activation aimed to show consumers that the Moscato – typically a warm weather drink – can be enjoyed year-round.

“We just didn’t want it to be pigeon-holed as a seasonal offering,” says Brenda Wylie, country manager for Canada at Distell Group, Two Oceans’ parent company.

This first leg of the southern Ontario program, led by Your Brand Integrated Marketing Communications, wraps up today, with additional runs slated for December and next spring. The brand is using its owned social channels to promote the tour locations. Two Oceans will also have sampling in about 100 LCBO stores next spring, with the branded truck appearing at some of those locations, Wylie says.

Five or six years ago, Two Oceans did invest more in its above-the-line advertising, but shifted to more in-store sampling programs and retail activations, Wylie says. A year ago, it underwent a rebrand, including a new bottle design, and now, it’s ramping up its overall marketing, including experiential.

With Moscato in particular, the brand is going after a millennial demographic, so having an experiential and social plan was important to speak to that demographic, Wylie says.

Going into next spring, the Moscato launch will also be supported with digital marketing, including 15- and 30-second online videos focused on customer reaction to the branded truck tour (seeded to YouTube and Facebook), as well as targeted social content and a contest, in addition to media relations efforts.