Local News
“The response has been mind blowing,” says Mark Roy, the video’s star and the outlet’s director of marketing.
A promotional video from the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet has gone viral on Facebook and Instagram, garnering more than a million views combined.
Posted on Tuesday, the video opens with on-screen text: “When Gen Z Writes the Marketing Script,” then dives into popular Gen Z and TikTok phrases like “hot girl summer” and “very demure.” Even the caption embraces a trendy joke: “The snow was a paid actor.”
Mark Roy, the outlet’s director of marketing, merchandising, and warehousing, stars in the video, walking through the store while promoting products with deadpan humor and viral lingo.
“This is the wine section. It’s giving options. It’s giving range,” Roy says in the clip.
As of Friday, the video had totaled approximately 50,700 likes and more than 1,000 comments on Instagram alone. Many comments praised Roy’s performance, asking for his autograph and if he does bottle signings. Some joked about whether he might be AI-generated.
“I can confirm I’m not AI-generated,” Roy told Boston.com.
Hailey McCaffrey, a social media manager at wedü, the advertising agency that works with the liquor commission, told Boston.com that the video is part of a broader strategy by the state-run outlets to connect with Gen Z consumers — many of whom are under the drinking age or new to wine and spirits.
McCraffrey said the inspiration originated from a viral trend where older employees read “Gen Z marketing scripts.”
“I thought it was funny, but I definitely did not expect the kind of reaction that we got. It’s definitely been our most successful post we’ve ever had across our accounts,” she said. “We were hoping it would reach Gen Z, so we’re happy that it did.”
Roy, a Gen X, said he was initially puzzled by the idea.
“When they sent this idea over, I had to be honest and say, ‘I don’t get it,’” he admitted. “Once we started the filming and we tried the deadpan delivery and the verbiage, I kind of started catching on what it was all about, but the response has been mind blowing.”
The campaign is just one piece of a larger effort to engage younger audiences. Roy noted that Gen Z consumes alcohol differently than older generations and often prefers non-alcoholic or alternative beverages.
“A lot of them choose not to imbibe at this point or are new to the wine and spirits industry,” he said. “We’d like to get them into the fold, and we definitely have opportunities for non-alcoholic wine and alternative spirit options.”
To complement the online push, the outlet is also hosting in-person events, said E.J. Powers, a strategic communications expert and partner at Montagne Powers, a public relations film that collaborates with the liquor commission.
Powers said events like the “Sommelier Select,” a blind wine tasting, and the bi-monthly “Perfect Pairings” cooking and beverage series have drawn younger attendees, selling out quickly.
“The premise behind that was that wine can be intimidating, and it can also be expensive,” Powers said of “Sommelier Select.” “It was one of the many sold-out events that we’ve had and events that we’re starting to see a younger demographic attend.”
The first “Perfect Pairings” event sold out minutes before the event began, Roy said.
“When we post an event, it sells out in a matter of minutes,” he added. “It’s been picked up by a lot of people, so it’s been a great series.”
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