Adam Gilchrist’s tequila brand, El Arquero, has launched with a play by Emotive – a campaign film that blurs the line between shoot and soiree built around the concept, We’re all in this tequila.
The film opens with an apology to Australians for the harsh tequilas of the past, before introducing El Arquero as a smoother spirit made for sharing and Australian palates. Friends, family, business partners and collaborators join him in the scene, celebrating what the brand stands for – connection and community. Even Emotive’s own team features in the spot, reflecting the collective spirit at the heart of the brand.
The “brand incubator play” is the debut of Emotive’s expanded offering, taking new businesses from inception through to launch with an end-to-end approach that taps into specialist expertise and capabilities to develop and craft distinctive brands. “Our brand incubator model builds culturally-connected brands from the ground up,” stated Sebastian Revell, executive strategy partner, Emotive. “El Arquero is the perfect example of that. We unpacked the perceptions and usages of tequila from consumer, trade and cultural perspectives. And coupling these findings with a unique product and founder story, we created a brand designed to reintroduce tequila through the uplifting power of the collective – pushing against individualistic conventions of the premium spirits category.”
As part of the incubator model, Emotive draws on specialists proven in building brands from the ground up. For El Arquero, that meant bringing in Justin Drape, co- founder of The Monkeys and Exceptional Alien, as creative director and co-writer. “When you’re building brands from scratch, you need to create a long-term idea that unifies the entire business. That’s exactly what we have with We’re all in this tequila,’’ Drape stated. “Working with Gilly, the El Arquero team and Emotive from the inception of this project has been a great experience. And because Gilly is co-founder, star of the show and client all at once, decisions were swift, thoughtful, effective and respectful.”
Supporting social-first content deepens the platform by building character love, highlighting taste differences, adding intrigue around Gilly as founder, and extending the story of the launch soiree. The campaign also features a collaboration with indie band, Deep Faith, a creative duo comprising music veteran Dan Stricker (formerly of The Midnight Juggernauts) and fashion photographer, Byron Spencer, who have reimagined their 2023 track, Daddy.
“El Arquero isn’t just tequila; it’s a spirit that connects worlds,” Gilchrist commented. “Beyond cricket, this has been a lifelong dream. Travelling to Mexico, hand-picking the finest ingredients, learning the craft and building both the team and the business has been an incredible journey. To now see it bottled and on shelves is a true pinch-yourself moment. At its heart, El Arquero is about togetherness and sharing moments and that’s exactly what this campaign captures. Partnering with Emotive to bring that vision to life has been brilliant.”
The campaign is being amplified through a three-pronged strategy:
- Foxtel Media – delivering scale and precision targeting nationally.
- Social – variety is the new frequency. The campaign spans 20+ film and still assets, designed to work together seamlessly and create real feeling in the feed.
- PR – building earned storytelling across food and drink, sport and lifestyle, leveraging the hero assets and Gilly’s founder story with the firepower of Hot Shot PR.
Production was delivered in partnership with Wellcom, with Emotive Productions leading social content and Wellcom on the hero film. “Bringing this campaign to life was as fun as it looks on screen. Our production team leaned into the bright, cheeky energy of the idea. It’s not every day you get to mix cricket legend status with tequila, but the result is a campaign that feels fresh, playful and unmistakably Australian,” stated Marnie Darren, managing director, Wellcom.
Director, Chris Hill, added, “Directing Adam Gilchrist’s Tequila brand launch was an incredible opportunity to bring a unique vision to life. The script allowed me to create a world for Gilly that felt both sophisticated and playful, a space where the art of ‘sipping’ tequila could be celebrated as it should. We had a lot of fun curating an intriguing cast of stylish characters whose energy and personalities definitely elevated the scene. The overall styling, tone and atmosphere is unexpected but also authentic to Gilly’s personality and where he wants to position El Aquero. It was a true pleasure working together to craft his charismatic performance through the choreographed shots and moments I wanted to hit within the scene.”
“It’s been a privilege to partner with the El Arquero team on this launch. An Australian-owned tequila immediately had our attention in a category dominated by overseas imports. From the outset the team connection felt natural, and their openness to doing things differently was inspiring. Through our brand incubator model, we’ve not just launched a brand but built the foundation for long-term cultural relevance with a platform that’s distinctive for the category and designed to endure. Most importantly, it’s an outstandingly smooth tequila crafted for Australian palates and we can’t wait for people everywhere to experience it,” commented Simon Joyce, CEO, Emotive.
Credits:
Client: El Arquero
Founder: Adam Gilchrist
Client Team: Mel Gilchrist, Tina Fitzgerald, Dan Fitzgerald, Stephen Atkinson, Eddie Brook, John Eastham
Creative & Production: Emotive
CEO & Founder: Simon Joyce
Executive Strategy Partner: Sebastian Revell
Creative Director & copywriter: Justin Drape
Group Creative Director: Darren Wright
Senior Creative Director: Rupert Taylor
Creative Directors: Paul Sharp & Michael Dawson
Earned Creative: Alister Hill
Head of Design: Daniel Mortensen
Senior Designer: Chris Cooper
Senior Social Strategist: Elly Brand
Photographer: Nick Bowers
