Melbourne Racing Club Unveils ‘It’s Time to Re-Wild’ Campaign for the 2023 Caulfield Cup Carnival via East of Everything and TABOO
The Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) is inviting racegoers to grab the weekend tribe and experience a different kind of Spring Carnival via a new campaign from creative collaborators East of Everything and TABOO
“It’s Time to Re-Wild” is an open invitation to break out of our collective post-covid, post Winter malaise and embrace a vibrant and unexpected world of food, fashion, fun and racing at Caulfield.
Says MRC Chief Customer Officer Jeremy Francis: “As a business and brand, we are dedicated to opening the sport up to more people through unexpected and immersive experiences. We knew to drive engagement and reach new audiences, our marketing and on course experience needed to challenge the old ways and be unashamedly future focused.”
The creative breaks from the typical stereotypes of the racing world bringing to life MRC’s progressive spirit to change the world of racing to be more open and welcoming for everyone, not just racing’s initiated.
Renowned New York artist Spencer Gabor was chosen to create a colourful and fantastical world of entertainment, bought to life by award winning Melbourne animators SOMA Studios with music by Squeak E Clean.
“No slow-motion horses, stock photography or grandiose music, this isn’t your typical Spring Racing campaign. Building on the brand strategy we were tasked to come up with something that felt different for the category. Everyone came together to build this wild world – from TABOO, Spencer, Soma, Squeak E and the fabulous crew at the MRC,” says Grant Rutherford, ECD and co-founder, East of Everything.
The ‘It’s Time to Re-Wild’ creative platform is extended through to the race day experience with the launch of the brand new ‘Wilderland’ precinct, that invites racegoers to let down their hair and embrace their wild side.
Says MRC General Manager of Marketing, Ashley Curnow: “We’re eager to push the boundaries with this year’s Caulfield Cup Carnival campaign, and approach not only the way we market racing, but sport more broadly. Engaging an artist like Spencer Gabor was key and allowed us to employ a more modern lens on our campaign. His stunning, abstract work is the perfect creative to attract new audiences and reiterate MRC’s point of difference in the racing category.”
Says TABOO Creative Director Melba Gounas: “In an era where local sporting events play on a global stage and are upping the ante with all-around experiences, MRC doesn’t aim to simply join the crowd. Rather, our ‘It’s Time to Re-wild’ campaign is inspired by the liberating spirit of festivals. We aim to engage audiences in new, positive ways – encouraging everyone to unleash their wild side, however they define it.”
‘It’s time to Re-Wild’ is a fully integrated campaign with TV, online video, social, large format OOH, impulse media, street posters, murals, print, radio, digital display, experiential and on-track activity rounding out the creative mix.
EAST OF EVERYTHING
Strategy Director, Partner: Kat Kelly
Creative Director, Co-Founder: Grant Rutherford
TABOO
Managing Director: James Mackinnon
Creative Director: Melba Gounas
General Manager: Kate Prowse
Designer: Trent Bucknell
Group Account Director: Lauralee Cuzner
Account Manager: Emma Golding
Producer: Hannah Cleary
MRC
General Manager – Marketing: Ashley Curnow
Head of Marketing: Sarah Addis & Ellen Wilson
Creative Director: Nic Lehman
Marketing Campaign Specialist: Ebony Ross
Spencer Gabor – Artist Collaborator / Illustrator
Media: HALF DOME
Soma Studios – Animation Production
Oz Smith – Creative Direction/Animator
Charlotte Parsons – Producer
Jeric Ilagan – Animator
Shashank Mani – Animator
Gabriel Gareso – Animator
Squeak E. Clean Studios
Music Composition & Sound Post Production
Music Producer: Richie Buxton
Music Composer: Oliver Duke
Senior Producer : Laura Hesse
Sound Designer : Dee Gjedsted
5 Comments
This is what happens when the ‘creative’ gets so wrapped up in its own enthusiasm to be different and fresh and forgets the truth of the brand/product.
“Food fashion fun and racing” – guys, this is about gambling, with some dressing up, drinking and eating on the side.
The ‘re-wilding’ line is self-deluded, to quote on the definition of rewilding from a quick google:
“Rewilding means working at scale to rebuild wildlife diversity and abundance and giving natural processes the opportunity to enhance ecosystem resilience, with enough space to allow nature to drive the changes and shape the living systems”
Ie. the opposite of horse racing, food and fashion.
Consumers don’t read into stuff. They like pretty things that seem a fun day out. Like this.
Nice work.
the meaning is clear to me: after all the lockdowns in melbourne, it’s time to let loose (with a little play on words relating to wild).
and when it comes to the cooked units who like to go to the horse racing, the term ‘wild’ definitely has meaning: food/drink/gambling/spewing
based on your overly rational and literal analysis, i assume you’re strat/planner type?
Feels cheap and tacky, great if the aim was to appeal to all the youngsters in GA.
People don’t just go to the races to gamble – particularly at Caulfield. For most people the carnival is about drinking, socialising, eating food and getting a bit loose. This feels pretty fresh and unconventional for a category in dire need of a face lift. Solid work – the illustration work is v noice.