Cultural context is critical in how Yalumba tells its distinctive brand story and it is finding it through total news, says CMO, Nicky Gameau.
Being a wine brand of choice means becoming a lifestyle choice for consumers. Which is why Yalumba Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, Nicky Gameau, sees total news as such a key part of her marketing mix.
“What total news gives us is great diversity,” Gameau says. “It’s not just about being on the front page, or on the landing page. It’s also about what’s in the lifestyle section, what’s in the travel section. You get all these great, different opportunities to connect with your consumer or with your viewer, and they can really put your brand into their lives.”
The fact total news readers are actively absorbing such diverse content ensures Yalumba can weave its distinctive story with culture in an even more compelling way.
“We know people reading the news aren’t just reading what’s happened today or yesterday, they're also reading about lifestyle, about culture, where to dine out,” Gameau says. “That’s great for us because that puts wine into their cultural context. They’re also engaging for longer, which means we can also tell our story.
“That’s why total news works for us, because we want wine to be a part of their everyday life.”
Building the narrative
Yalumba’s primary ambition has been to change quality perceptions of its product portfolio. A complementary focus has been on building awareness with new and light buyers.
“Our campaigns over the last three years have been both about driving those premium quality messages, as well as building awareness for those light buyers, then also bringing in a new demographic,” Gameau explains.
Recognising the challenges consumers faced during the pandemic, Yalumba’s creative and messaging sought to uplift and inspire. This was achieved by building positivity around going out to restaurants once more, or by encouraging consumers to enjoy beautiful food at home. “We were hoping these consumers would then see Yalumba in the same inspirational light as these dining opportunities and travel,” says Gameau.
To bring this to life, Yalumba worked with its agency and News Corp to build a bespoke content-led campaign incorporating online and print. For Gameau, this provided stronger engagement potential and a contextually relevant platform to delve into the brand’s narrative.
Three mini magazines were created, each following a different theme. The first was about enjoying global cuisine when cooking at home, with recipes matched with Yalumba wines. In the second year, the focus shifted to stellar restaurants consumers could now frequent. If staying at home, options to cook were again on offer.
Yalumba’s most recent campaign showcased Australian restaurants with distinctive flair such as arkh`e in Adelaide, which uses neither gas nor electric cooking, and by highlighting atypical European Middle Eastern cuisine.
“Hopefully, they'll also put Yalumba onto the table when they enjoy these bold occasions,” Gameau says. Online videos and articles rounded out the program.
“The editorial and content pieces we’ve been able to create bespoke with News has meant people are getting to know us and getting to engage with us,” says Gameau. “The most important thing is then when they see us either on a shelf, on a wine list or online, they purchase us to enjoy.”
The content served the secondary purpose of making it easy for younger consumers seeking more information online. “All of our creative has been about solving their education challenges,” Gameau continues. “They want to learn about wine, they want to know how to curate a fantastic dinner party or what to drink when they go out. So online has been really important.
“But print equally gives us those premium cues. The tactile nature of a really good-quality print product has been fantastic as well. We know people are holding on to that more premium print and can refer back to it whenever they want.”
Another plus for Gameau with total news is repetition, vital for building memorability. “People might start searching digitally and going online and read our content. But then they might pick up a masthead and see our mini mag or our other content,” she says.
Brand metrics winner
According to campaign results from Kantar, the content series surpassed Yalumba’s desired perceptions targets and exceeded creative norms on several levels, from brand memorability to likeability. It particularly hit the right notes on Yalumba as an inspirational, family-owned and sophisticated wine producer.
Notably, Yalumba saw a 20% increase in consideration, the highest shift ever on a News Corp content study. There was also +13% uplift in consumers seeing the brand as a premium wine producer, +8% uplift in brand favourability, +3% uplift in brand awareness, and +18% uplift in perceptions around producing sophisticated wines.
“That premium cue is one of the key reasons we did this campaign in the first place,” adds Gameau. “For us, total news gives us that greater engagement, the storytelling, the repetition and that stronger connection.”
To find out more about how Yalumba is using Total News, visit this link: https://thinknewsbrands.com.au/news-in-action/nicky-gameau/
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.