Cheerwine is the last soft drink brand in America still owned by its founding family after four generations. The bubbly, wild cherry-flavored soft drink has a cult following and a distribution deal with Pepsi Beverages to be available in all 50 states by their 100th anniversary in 2017.

It’s known as the “Nectar of the South” by loyal fans, including indie rockers, The Avett Brothers, who performed a charity concert in October called Legendary Giveback: Tour of Duty, to benefit three family aid organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Operation Homefront and the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, as part of an overall campaign called “Legend” created by NY-based agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons. 

The marketing objective of “Legend” is to leverage an existing fan base and grow brand awareness from the regional to the national level. Fans unable to attend the sold-out concert in person were invited to go online and pledge their time to volunteer with any charity or community organization through Cheerwine's website or Facebook page in return for an access code to view a livestream of the concert. 

Nearly 28,000 entered a related sweepstakes offering a grand prize of a VIP trip to the concert and a meet-and-greet with the Avett Brothers, as well as other prizes including pairs of tickets, Giveback T-shirts, posters and Cheerwine coupons. In addition, the town that pledged the most hours (Bristol, Tennessee) was awarded Cheerwine merchandise and cash to host live Legendary Giveback viewing parties, and more than 2,000 people pledged to give back over 30,000 hours to their local community.Continue reading...

Brands with a strong regional following often achieve cult-like status among fans who embrace such brands as uniquely theirs.

So it is with Cheerwine, an unusually-named soft drink that, despite its name, has no alcoholic content but does have a wine-like hue. Cheerwine, with its cherry-like taste, was created in 1917 in North Carolina. Its maker, the Carolina Beverage Corporation, still maintains its headquarters in Salisbury, NC.

Traverse the Tar Heel state and you'll see old-fashioned Cheerwine signs in pharmacies and over lunch counters. The soda has been celebrated throughout the state and was featured on Our State, a television show broadcast on UNC-TV, North Carolina's educational television station.

Now Cheerwine is trying to follow the route of Krispy Kreme Donuts, another legendary North Carolina brand that expanded beyond its regional roots. In fact, Cheerwine, which proclaims "Legend since 1917" on its label, is leveraging the legend concept in a massive ad campaign intended to make the soft drink nationally competitive.Continue reading...