1960s drama timely for wine brand

CHILEAN WINE Santa Rita is settling into an “intensive” new marketing campaign this week, having signed up to sponsor RTÉ Two’s broadcast of Mad Men.

Don Draper may be more of a whiskey man, but the 1960s drama, which begins its fifth series on the channel tomorrow, is “a superb fit for Santa Rita” according to its UK and Ireland commercial director Terry Pennington.

Created by the agency Irish International, the winemakers will feature in four intro and outro stings that “reflect the New York lifestyle of the 1960s” by featuring classic design items such as typewriters and starburst clocks.

Irish drinkers like their new world wines: Santa Rita already counts Ireland as its second biggest export market after the US, shifting around three million bottles here with a retail value of €30 million.

The top-selling Chilean wine in Ireland is Santa Rita 120, but the Mad Men sponsorship is part of an wider outdoor, print and online campaign intended to promote its full range, including Santa Rita Reserva and its Medalla Real and Casa Real wines.