We deliver! Get curated industry news straight to your inbox. Subscribe to Adweek newsletters.
A new booze brand from wine manufacturer Gallo and actor-entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds’ company, Maximum Effort, is far from the first to throw shade at the traditionally pompous wine industry or use a Hollywood celebrity as an endorser.
But the way the strategy plays out for the introduction of a super-sized box wine called Ugly Estates, well, that’s something special.
A 60-second hero ad stars Peggy, a hairless pug-and-Chinese-crested mix best known for her role as Dogpool in Deadpool & Wolverine. The video uses slow-mo shots of her unique (lovably hideous) physical attributes intercut with phrases like “full bodied,” “striking nose,” and “elegant finish.”
The brand, which debuts with chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, says it hasn’t paid for “fancy bottles or labels” and didn’t hire “attractive spokeshumans,” per the ad created in-house.
With a classical music soundtrack that switches abruptly to hip hop, the spot positions the modestly-priced Ugly Estates as a disruptor for its “33% more wine and 100% less snob” positioning. And fans of Peggy, who holds the title of “Britain’s Ugliest Dog,” get plenty of close-ups and adorable mugging (and tongue-wagging) for the camera.
A booming category
Senior leaders at Maximum Effort had been scouting for a collab with Gallo for a while, according to co-founder George Dewey. They decided to dip into the wine category “because it really struck a chord,” specifically boxed wine because it “could use some love and attention,” Dewey told ADWEEK.
Several execs came together to form Ugly Estates, including Dewey, Stephanie Gallo, CMO at Gallo; Kevin Law, CEO-founder of Session Partners; and Justin V. Barocas, CEO of Ace Content and founding partner of ad agency Anomaly.
While bottled wine sales are down in the U.S., cans and boxes are booming—to the tune of double-digit annual growth.
As a new entrant, Ugly Estates is trying to reach existing consumers, who are already accustomed to the format, and bring in more Gen Z and millennial drinkers, potentially stealing them from ready-to-drink cocktails, hard seltzers, and cannabis-infused sodas.
The brand premiers as canned wine alone in the U.S. hit $447.6 million in sales in 2024, with the number expected to increase 13.4% yearly through 2034, per Global Market Insights.
Young buyers are driving the trend, choosing cans and boxes because of the portability for picnics, festivals and pool parties, flocking to brands like Archer Roose, Bev, and Nomadica.
Low-key look
Ugly Estates comes in one-liter, recyclable Tetra Paks, appealing to young demos’ sustainability concerns, priced at $12. The brand says it’s “swapping out the pretentious bottle for something much more approachable.” Its packaging is stripped down and minimal, with a flipped logo, cardboard-looking exterior, and no embellishments.
The products are launching first in Texas, with plans to eventually roll out nationwide.
“Boxed, and in particular Ugly Estates, is the epitome of ‘its what’s on the inside that counts,’” Dewey said. “Same with Peggy!”
