Yellow Tail campaign targets ‘wine snobbery’ in new local work

Just one week afterCasella Family Brands launched its Yellow Tail Super Bowl ad across 85% of the United States, the brand has launched its Australian campaign, focusing similarly on the idea of ‘fun.’

Created by CommonVentures, the new ads feature different household objects such as a BBQ, a chair and a wooden spoon, being described in long sentences using complex adjectives, poking fun at traditional wine brand ads.

The voiceover questions whether it is necessary to overcomplicate simple objects, such as a bottle of wine and encourages consumers to focus on enjoying the ‘when’ ‘where’ and ‘who’ of wine drinking.

The campaign is part of a new global positioning Casella Family Brands has developed to take the seriousness out of wine drinking.

Speaking with Mumbrella, Clive Coleman, global head of marketing at Casella Family Brands, said the work came from research that suggested people don’t want to take wine seriously but feel they have to in order to be accepted.

Coleman said that, ultimately, Australians want a wine that is “simple” and “fun.”

“The creative idea that was developed is really kind of making light of or having fun with the way some consumers describe their wine,” Coleman said.

While Coleman said the positioning was the same for both the local and US ads, he stressed that the ads were made for different markets.

“The ads both had the same overall idea in terms of Yellow Tail being the custodians of simple fun and dismantling of seriousness in people lives, but they’re different markets and the particular insight that resonated in Australia is that Aussie consumers are well aware of the wine snobbery but our consumers do not consider themselves part of that world.”

Coleman said while Yellow Tail takes the wine-making seriously, they don’t want consumers to over-complicate drinking wine.

Despite other big competitors in the market, Coleman believes the ad will effectively reach consumers because of its “unique” positioning.

“What we do at Yellow Tail does stands out from the category, if you look at most other wine ads, they do use rather complex and serious language,” he told Mumbrella.

“To have a wine that’s really encouraging consumers to enjoy the simplicity of wine, we feel that’s something really unique in the market place.”

“We have done consumer testing and consumers love the ad, they thought it was really fun and enjoyable and they get the bigger idea,” he added.

Although Yellow Tail’s global ad received widespread criticism from some Australian publications as well as sections of the Australian public via social media, Coleman said he doesn’t think it will affect brand sentiment in the local market, saying, consumers who have seen the ad quite enjoyed it.

When asked whether or not the ad would improve brand sentiment Coleman was confident the latest work would sit well with the Australian market.

“This ad is made for the Australian consumer. We know that this ad will be appealing to consumers and, I suppose, really clarify the positioning of Yellow Tail in Australia.”

Yellow Tail’s new campaign will run across television, cinema and out-of-home. The brand is also the official partner of Tropfest and will have a bespoke Yellow Tail hot air balloon running in Melbourne year-round.