Your Shot: Yellowglen Sparkles

Street dance might be all the rage, clogging up TV talent shows with its popping and locking, but for real class, you can’t beat a bit of Fred ‘n’ Ginger style tap. A new campaign for Aussie bubbly wine Yellowglen creates a nimble twist on this vintage dancing style. A dancer whirls around a floor whilst flashes fly from his flinty feet in the first spot ‘The House of Sparkling’ form the brands new strategy to rejuvenate this Australian brand. We caught up with Micah Walker, ECD at The Monkeys, to find out more. 

 

 

LBB> Strategically, what do you think this campaign will achieve for the brand?

 

MW> We think we’ve given the brand a unique narrative and platform that they can build on longer term, in any medium. The potential for what they can do with ‘The House of Sparkling’ is endless; there’s always more of the house to see, experience and interact with.

 

LBB> How did you go about achieving the spark affect underneath the dancer's shoes?

 

MW> Some of it is practical, done with sparking tape on the soles of his shoes and affixed to the floor, and some of it was created with a special program built by the guys at ALT in Brisbane.

 

LBB> With the gramophone, dancer's attire and music, the spot has a vintage, film-noir feel to it. Why did you decide to approach the campaign this way and what does it tell us about Yellowglen as a brand?

 

MW> We felt with tap dancing, we really needed to stay somewhat true to the era that made it so special… and then twist it up a bit. We didn’t want to create some kind of modern ‘Tap Dogs’ thing, which is much more powerful and percussive. We thought there was more charm and grace if we started with some classic elements and made it more filmic. It’s more accessible that way and when you add the dramatic lighting and sparking to those elements, it has a magical, timeless quality to it…or at least we think so.

 

LBB> Consumers have the opportunity to own a piece of ‘The House of Sparkling', with thirty gems, worth more than $250,000 being given away, over the course of the campaign. What can we expect to see in the future from the Yellowglen campaign?

 

MW> We have so many ideas about what the rest of ‘the House’ holds, such as events, larger films and experiences. Hopefully it will become even more surprising than this and the narrative for the brand will become more and more interesting and magical. That’s always been the plan; this is the first step in the story, we’re excited about what else can be done.

 

LBB> What were the biggest challenges you faced when developing the concept and how did you overcome them?

 

MW> This was a dramatic change for a brand that’s been doing things the same way for many years. To be honest though, time was the hardest thing…we did this in about half the time it would normally take. That was definitely difficult as it put a lot of pressure on each and every element.