Wine association uncorks new name
New Mexico Wine also launches marketing, advertising campaign
The New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association, looking to the local brewing industry for inspiration, is changing its name and launching a marketing campaign to attract more visitors and young people.
The “Viva Vino” campaign will include marketing and advertising, similar to the state Tourism Department’s New Mexico True effort. It will include new signage for members’ wine bottles and merchandise that will be sold online and at wineries.
The group’s new name will be New Mexico Wine, which is “clear and simple and to the point,” Chris Goblet, the group’s executive director, said at a news conference Wednesday. “But it’s more than a name change, it’s a culture change.”
The “Viva Vino” campaign will include “wayfinder” signs that will be used on streets to point people toward New Mexico wineries. The association is planning the push in close partnership with the New Mexico True campaign.
Sam Aragon, president of New Mexico Wine, said the rebranding aims to reach out to new customers, much as the local breweries have done. “For us to be a continuing industry, we have to have that legacy and push this to the next generation,” Aragon said. The rebranding, he said, will spark interest and bring in new wine lovers.
“Anything that the wine industry does that can generate conversation (is great) ...,” Latham said. “So having the rebrand is just getting us talking and raising all of our awareness.”