Wild Turkey has announced the launch of its new, global creative campaign and platform, “Trust Your Spirit,” featuring the brand’s Creative Director Matthew McConaughey. The campaign features a series of digital vignettes that serve as a tribute to the legendary Master Distillers at the helm of Wild Turkey – Jimmy and Eddie Russell. It also arrives as the brand rolls out a newly-redesigned Wild Turkey 101 pack.
“Trust Your Spirit” channels the spirit and birthplace of Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky through archived footage and state-of-the-art projection mapping, evoking the brand’s past, present and future. In the hero (:30) ad, the shot opens on a rounded projection stage with McConaughey in front of an oversized screen surrounded by bourbon barrels. In all of the digital ads, the Wild Turkey Rickhouse is projected around him as he invites viewers to do things like “trust your gut, trust your eyes, trust your ears, trust your friends….and the stories they allow you to tell,” and reminds us “You are exactly where you should be. Where you go from here, is completely up to you and your spirit. Trust it.”
The campaign’s tagline is a call to action channeling the uncompromising spirit of Wild Turkey’s Jimmy Russell, the longest-tenured, active Master Distiller in the global spirits industry and father to Eddie, a second generation Master Distiller and legend in his own right. “In all its forms, and just like Wild Turkey, Trust Your Spirit is bold, inspired, and unapologetically confident,” notes McConaughey. “This spirit of trust, and trusting your own, dates back for generations of the Russell family who toast those who share and forge ahead with their values. It’s about celebrating both the primary and divine voice we all have inside. It’s life – undiluted.”
The Russells have been faithful and allegiant to their recipe and production methods – despite trends and pressure to conform to changing tastes over the years. “Trust Your Spirit” echoes a bold and confident rally cry in step with the brand and family ethos to follow one’s instincts. The track “Black Moon Rising” by up-and-coming Austin musicians The Black Pumas & the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble plays in the background, providing an Americana soundtrack that evokes Southern Kentucky vibes across McConaughey’s modern-day-cowboy Texas persona.
Another (:15) spot, “The Stars,” finds McConaughey on the picturesque grounds of the Wild Turkey distillery, gazing upon the sky and reflecting on one’s relationship with a celestial universe. It concludes with an observation from McConaughey drawing parallels across humans and stars – each has their own unique sparkle and spirit. The creative director remarks that the world can be a beautiful place “if we all trust our spirit,” as he watches the sun break the horizon.
“Trust Your Spirit delivers a sequence of short films in various formats that will air in markets across the globe,” remarks Julka Villa, Campari Group’s Managing Director of Global Strategic Marketing, Spirits. “We’re very proud of it. Along with our visionary creative team, we explored territories to passionately convey the brand’s championing character, the liquid spirit itself, and the human spirit. Viewers will also get a peek at our new, reimagined Wild Turkey 101 bottle in these spots. The campaign illustrates the brand’s bold personality and point of view, while continuing to pay homage to its rich history and craft.”
Developed by Creative Director Josh Combs and Wild Turkey’s “Chief Storyteller” Matthew McConaughey, the “Trust Your Spirit” platform embodies the passion that goes into the Russell family business and marks a turning point for Wild Turkey. Launching today, the campaign will run on digital and social media channels in the United States, Australia and in select global markets.
For more information, head over to Wild Turkey’s official website.