Our Practice

Why Not Wine? Campaign to Get Wine in Grocery Stores

Red white and food

Challenge

Although many states allow the sale of wine in grocery stores, Tennessee state laws have historically prohibited it. Realizing it would require a multi-year campaign to convince legislators, in 2008 the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association (TGCSA) made a long-term decision to press for the reform.

Teams for public relations and lobbying worked closely with the grocers and their partners to create a platform for Tennesseans to show legislators their support for wine sales in retail food stores.

Solution

Red white and food

During the first year of the campaign, Atkinson and McNeely, Pigott & Fox Public Relations conducted a statewide survey of 500 registered voters to measure existing attitudes and develop key messages.

The team then launched Red White and Food, a statewide grassroots campaign to mobilize consumers in support of the change. Elements of the campaign included:

  • Statewide media relations – releases, op/eds, interviews, editorial boards
  • Coalitions with interested third parties, including the Tennessee Retail Association and Tennessee Farm Wineries Association
  • Participation in legislative hearings
  • Red White and Food membership recruitment
  • Event for members hosted by legislative sponsors of bill
  • Website creation
  • Weekly blog posts
  • Fliers
  • Lapel stickers
  • Bumper stickers

In 2009, the team continued these successful initiatives and added:

  • Extensive social media focus – Facebook group, Twitter happy hours
  • Regular e-mails to members
  • Enhancements to website
  • Displays in grocery stores with membership cards for people to join the campaign
  • Increased rapid-response capabilities to counter the opposition's arguments
  • Implementation of GetActive, an online system that makes it easy for consumers to write their legislators, become members, and refer friends
  • Launch of the Red White and Food Voters Political Action Committee

Results

Although the law is not yet changed, TGCSA plans to continue the push in 2010 and add to the substantial progress that was made in galvanizing widespread public and media support in the first two years. Since the campaign started:

  • More than 21,000 campaign members
  • Total of 950 media placements (90 percent favorable)
  • More than 6,000 Facebook group members

The consumer support has resulted in the appointment of a joint committee to consider an update to Tennessee's liquor laws and report to the 2010 General Assembly. Already the committee has held two meetings and listened to testimony from representatives of the Tennessee grocery and convenience store industry and other experts reporting no negative effects for other states that allow wine sales in retail food stores.