Chateau St. Michelle Helps You Get Rid of Your Ex’s Hoodie This Valentine’s Day

Did you know that 77% of US adults say they have kept an item/items from a previous romantic partner? It’s there in your home, hiding in plain sight in a box, on the shelf, in the corner are a few leftover trinkets from a past relationship. For most adults with exes, it’s photos, gifted clothing, and letters—items that serve no purpose and yet are so hard to give away —until now, thanks to premium wine brand Chateau Ste. Michelle (CSM), this Valentine’s Day.

Created in partnership with agency Team One, Publicis Groupe’s fully integrated media, digital, and communications agency for premium brands, Chateau Ste. Michelle is here to help kick the ex-baggage to the curb with Great EXchange. Aimed at celebrating new beginnings, CSM will give people a reason to let go of these items with the incentive to celebrate new beginnings and share their experience online.

Launching this week, Chateau Ste. Michelle premiered a microsite allowing people to upload a photo of an ex’s memento along with quick anecdote about its significance. They also have the opportunity to peruse an online gallery populated with other submissions.

In EXchange, they’ll be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a CSM Winery Gift Box full of items that will help them to have closure–once and for all. To kick off the promotional period, the first 200 entrants will receive a $100 gift card to use towards Chateau Ste. Michelle’s online store. The promotional period ends on February 13th at 11:59 pm PT, and 50 winners will receive a Winery Gift, which will include a $100 CSM gift card, $150 in LiveNation concert cash, an Apple HomePod Mini, Corkcicle wine tumbler, among other gifts. 

The campaign was inspired by research showing that more than 3/4th of adults have leftover trinkets from past relationships, in a survey conducted by CSM and Team One of more than 1,000US adults aged 25-55. CSM aims to tap into this audience and bring a fresh, provocative take on Valentine’s Culture–stepping away from the predictable approach to breakthrough with consumers.

To help get the word out, CSM and Team One tapped influencer and the internet’s big sister Tinx (1.5M+ Tiktok and 505K Insta followers). Famously known for her comedic skits, recommendations, and advice on dating, Tinx will be sharing the news of the campaign to build buzz and encourage EXchanges. She’ll be joined by other influential creators including Morgan Willett, Andrew Spencer, Erin Garnes, and Bria Jones as they all rally around the idea that you can’t fully commit to your future love until you’ve said goodbye to your past ones. 

Driving traffic to the site will be three :15s teasers featuring some of the most common items kept from exes, including a candle, a hoodie, and a teddy bear. The campaign will run across digital video (FB, IG, YouTube), paid social, and CSM + Influencer social feeds.

Julie Michael, CEO of Team One, says: “Chateau Ste Michelle has always been the wine-of-choice for Valentine’s Day, but this February, we’re also making it the wine-of-WAY-better-choices. We’re championing wine drinkers everywhere in their quest to pursue true love by encouraging them to purge the ridiculous baggage from their exes. The Great EXchange is actually the great exorcism of ghosts-of-lovers-past. Chateau Ste Michelle offers a tongue-in-cheek “cheer” to being free to find new-and-better love this Valentine’s Day!”

Guillermo Sanchez, senior VP, managing director of Chateau and Domaine Ste. Michelle, says: “At Chateau Ste. Michelle we honour our 55-year pioneering legacy of making world-class Washington wine, while looking to our future to find new, unexpected ways to connect with wine drinkers. Wine has long been a key part of celebrations and cultural moments, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. We’re excited to launch the Chateau Ste. Michelle Great EXchange as a fresh, fun way to reframe Valentine’s Day and help people engage with our brand and enjoy our award-winning wines.”