Sterling | Pairs Well With You
Film - Creative

The Challenge and Goal

In 2021, Sterling had long been a favourite among North American wine lovers, known for its deep and rich Cabernet Sauvignon, among others. Even with a long list of admirers around the world, it had to make inroads with younger drinkers, who see the wine category as stodgy, exclusive and unrelatable. Indeed, wine is the least preferred alcohol among people aged 21 to 34, with American wine sales expected to fall by 20% in the coming decade (Bank of Santa Clara). To recruit a new generation into the category, Sterling would need to show up differently and compel a new generation to choose their brand.  

The Insight & Strategy 

Knowing that no generation has been more complex in how they project themselves to the world, we needed to show that Sterling was the perfect pairing for people who live their layered and authentic selves. They define themselves on their own terms and in a way different from that of previous generations. 

As a challenger American wine brand, Sterling was the perfect up-and-coming brand to partner with the up-and-coming hustlers that define a new generation of wine drinkers.

The Films

With a series of dramatic black & white films, we rolled out our creative campaign

“Pairs Well With You”.  We created a distinctively new tone and visual language for the wine category, featuring boundary-pushing protagonists who demonstrate there’s more to people than what they project. Through storytelling of identity and self expression, diversity and inclusivity, we explored the hidden layers that make us who we are. No matter your projection, layers or story -  Sterling wine pairs well with you.

Our three influencers were chosen based on their track record of being disruptors in their creative fields. These individuals pushed culture, were unapologetically themselves and had interesting personal stories of their hustle. We used projections to express the idea of identity that individuals are made up of many different facets—from the ones that are deep inside us and few people know, to the ones that we project to the outside world. We layered projections onto our influencers as they told their stories, resulting in films with two stories in one. 

The use of projections while shooting required a tremendous amount of pre-production. All individual scripts, visuals and transitions were meticulously selected to match Sterling’s newly established tone. All video was shot with live projectors behind the influencers. These projections were built specifically for each influencer, with the images representing their careers and unique perspective on their art and life.

We also partnered with a talented composer, Kieran Adams, to create a soundscape and musical track with hip-hop and R&B influences to add gravity to the stories we were telling. With a driving melodic baseline, haunting vocal samples and complementary percussion and keys, our goal was to create a sound that was as layered and complex as the talent we featured.

The Results

We succeeded in reaching a new audience, beating our KPI of 7.7 million impressions to hit 8.8 million. Brand awareness increased by 3.4% after the campaign, while recall increased by 5.6%. Sales during the duration of the campaign increased by 50.9%, largely driven by strong performance in Ontario (60.9%) and BC (66.4%). Despite a limited budget and channel support, Sterling was able to reach their target audience and tell the stories of people who stay true to who they are.