Says ‘Cheers’ to Expanding

The drink is Cheerwine, a wine-colored, highly carbonated soda with a flavor blend that includes wild cherry. Cheerwine has been family-owned since its introduction in 1917 and has a devoted following in its home market of North Carolina. Cheerwine is distributed in 12 states and is also sold online, where demand has recently increased significantly. For the brand’s 100th anniversary, Cheerwine executives want to expand distribution to all 50 states.

The campaign has a budget for this year estimated at $2 million to $4 million — a hefty amount for a brand that, according to Kantar Media, a unit of WPP, spent $44,000 to advertise in major media in 2009 and only $15,000 last year. The heart of the campaign is a bold declaration that Cheerwine is a “legend.” The brand’s logo reads: “Drink Cheerwine soft drink. Legend since 1917.” Ads in various venues carry the word “Legend,” followed by this phrase: “Born in the South. Raised in a glass.”

The new campaign includes television and radio commercials, outdoor advertising and signs in stores, along with a cheeky Web site whose name, itsasoftdrink.com, signals that it is aimed partly at confused consumers who believe that Cheerwine is a wine. There is, in addition, an extensive presence in social media, on the theory that Facebook and Twitter have an advantage in this digital age in building the enthusiastic word-of-mouth that in marketing circles is known as buzz.

“Three things define the brand,” Mr. Barbitta says, listing them as “authenticity”; the fact that it is “very differentiated,” in that “nothing tastes like it”; and its status as “a dynamic brand, a brand on the move” as “consumers are starting to discover it.” In that regard, “digital is our friend,” he adds, citing the “emotional connection” that can be made on Web sites like Facebook, where the Cheerwine page facebook.com/Cheerwine has more than 67,000 fans.

The closest Cheerwine seller to PLU is Fred Meyer on 1100 N Meridian, Puyallup, WA 98371