Wild Turkey Bourbon launches “Music 101” platform and campaign via BRING and Eleven PR

Wild Turkey, the iconic American bourbon brand, has today unveiled the newest creative in its global campaign, “Trust Your Spirit,” with cameos from world renowned musicians Shakey Graves, Matt Corby, and Yoohei Kawakami. The Australian component of the campaign was a collaborative effort between BRING, Universal Music for Brands and Eleven PR.

In a series of digital vignettes, rolling out globally starting this month, the three trailblazing artists each tell their own career story illustrating how intuition led them to where they are today, drawing parallels to Wild Turkey’s own DNA. The tagline “Trust Your Spirit,” is a bold and confident rallying cry that echoes the Russell’s family ethos: the best results come when you do things your way, the right way.

Matt Corby becomes the star of the local campaign. He had a career path laid out in front of him as an artist, but he took a detour, building his own recording studio on a property in the woods to truly find his own voice.

In Australia, to support the new global campaign Wild Turkey have launched Wild Turkey Music 101, an experiential platform led by creative agency BRING, Universal Music for Brands and a purpose-led national mentorship program to support aspiring Australian artists, led by Eleven PR . With significant media investment from the brand, the platform comes to life through-the-line including the globally developed hero TV spot, radio, PR, podcasting & more. At the centre of the experiential activity is a custom Airstream designed to be part-bar part-recording studio that will take great Aussie talent to fans through brand-owned intimate live music moments in the wild.

Says Paolo Marinoni, marketing director Campari Australia: “The message of ‘Trust Your Spirit’ resonates across geographies and cultures. The idea was inspired by the legacy of Wild Turkey and the people that have built it, but nowhere is that passion more poignant than in music. Music is the connecting glue between all our elements and gives us a passion-point for us to talk about the brand with authenticity and conviction. With Wild Turkey Music 101 we can show, not tell a new audience what Wild Turkey stands for and kickstart a new journey, the road ahead is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to bring more Wild Turkey moments to fans.”

The first Wild Turkey Music 101 Session which occurred just last week took Corby alongside the first mentorship program artists, Will Clift, into the wild of NSW for 175 lucky fans where he played some of his new album, stripped-back and raw for the very first time.

Says Chris Russell, partnerships director, BRING: “This is an exciting platform for music. Not only are we creating a number of brandowned gigs in the wild, but our custom Airstream also gives the brand a hero asset to leverage on and off premise. We have some incredible performances planned to connect live music with fans. It has been fantastic to collaborate with Wild Turkey and Matt Corby and help design an ecosystem of authentic moments for Wild Turkey Music 101.”

The campaign marks a special moment for Corby, marking his first brand collaboration: “I’ve always been on-the-fence about working with brands. It’s just never felt right for me. But when BRING presented me the idea, I saw something special and right from the start knew it was a perfect fit. Wild Turkey has been incredibly collaborative, involving me in the process and letting me tell my story in my way, It’s been incredible taking my music to fans in a unique setting and to share my knowledge with artists to help them on their path.”

Beyond live music moments, of which there will be over 53 throughout 2023 both big and small, Wild Turkey Music 101 has partnered with Corby and other revered Aussie artists to offer mentoring opportunities to aspiring Australian artists. Co-developed with Eleven PR, Music 101 extends into a bespoke national mentorship program that saw over 300 artists apply. A final selection of artists will get the opportunity to be mentored by Matt Corby & other leading Australian musical talent. The program will also indirectly support more than 50 local artists across Australia via the live music moments. In the on-premise environment allowing consumers places to experiences great music, great talent & the Smooth Taste of Wild Turkey Bourbon

Says Russ Tucker, executive creative director, Eleven PR: “We’re proud to collaborate with our clients and their partner agencies on Music 101 as part of our ongoing partnership with Wild Turkey. We hope the campaign will support Australian music and emerging artists helping them turn their passion into a career.”

Campari – Client
Paolo Marinoni, Marketing Director, Campari
Mark Little, Senior Marketing Manager, Campari
Jaime Flanagan, Senior Brand Manager, Campari

Creative Agency – BRING, Universal Music for Brands
Adam Ireland, General Manager, BRING
James Griffiths, Executive Creative Director, BRING
Jon Darren, Creative Director
Chris Russell, Partnerships Director, BRING
Isabella Ziino, Account Manager, BRING
James ‘Wilko’ Wilkinson, Creative, BRING

Eleven PR
Russ Tucker, Executive Creative Director
Matt Ogilvie, Client Partner
Filipe Olivera, Art Director
Zac Blakemore, Copywriter
Reegan Saiani, Snr. Business Director
Jayce Casaceli, Integrated Producer