Not too terribly long ago, I ran across this marketing campaign for Wente Vineyards. I had never heard of Wente but learned that they are the oldest continuously operated family winery in the country. Pretty cool, right? Well, they're recent #MakeTime campaign seemed pretty cool too. At least at first.

Where does your time go? This video lead in for the campaign shares an important message about living in the moment and spending time with people, not devices. Check it out.

The campaign had its own dedicated microsite where you could sign up and get more tips and emails about how to "Make Time" for the important things in life.

The message? Spot on. It's a message that's honestly needed for today's screen-happy culture and aligns incredibly well with a wine brand. When I think of drinking wine, I think of dinners and conversations. Quality time with friends and family.

It's a shame the brand gets lost in the message.

How this could've been a home run

More references to the brand would be ideal, even subtle ones. As the people in the video reunite with loved ones, they could've shown them having conversations over a glass of wine. You wouldn't even have to put the logo in the audience's face. Just recognizing that wine is a conduit for quality time and conversation would've been sufficient.

On the microsite, you have an opportunity to provide an email address to receive more content on best ways to "make time." After I signed up a couple of months ago, I've only received promotional emails trying to get me to come to events. While I recognize that this was a lead gen exercise, I think there was a missed opportunity to provide actual follow-up emails with #MakeTime tips. Content could've included:

• Customer stories about time spent with their families
• Tips on how to set up screen-free boundaries
• Stories from people reuniting with loved ones; would even be cool if Wente facilitated some reunions

There were a great ways to extend the campaign theme that I think wasn't taken advantage of.

A Digital CTA for a IRL-Themed Campaign?

On a side note, I think the hashtag curation on Instagram is an interesting call. Not saying it's the right or wrong one (extending the campaign is a good call). While the theme of the campaign is spending more time with people and less on the phone, a digital CTA may be a little off message. What could be cool would be to have a "phone free" area at their winery where pictures can't be taken. It'd force people to focus on conversation and could make the space feel a little "exclusive" since outsiders can't peek in.

All that said, I love the heart and message behind the campaign. It was about 90% of the way there. I think there could have been a couple of ways to make it a little more awesome.

What about you fellow marketers? What did you like? What could've been done differently?