40 million fewer cards are sold for Father’s Day than for Mother’s Day [Greeting Card Association; February 1, 2020]. Australian wine brand, Pepperjack, and Wunderman Thompson have mustered an army of dads to create an important public service announcement to the nation, “Don’t forget Father’s Day”.
Yes, the campaign uses dads to spread its reminder message – via some of dads’ favourite pastimes.
A week out from the big day, one dad kicked things off with a grassroots initiative (literally). He mowed a paddock-sized reminder into his lawn. Across the other side of the country, Perth dads who were out for their morning swim showed off cheeky (pun, sorry) reminders on their budgie smugglers.
The Dad Ads continued to spread throughout Australia at a local level and on national radio. A Dadsquad took inspiration from AFL club cheer squads. It proudly paraded reminder banners at Friday night’s final clash between GWS and Geelong.
On the morning of the actual day, in one last hurrah, a peloton of middle-aged Adelaide dads in lycra – or ‘mamils’ as they are commonly referred to – wore last-minute reminders on their weekly Sunday cycle like a fleet of roaming billboards.
João Braga, chief creative officer at Wunderman Thompson Australia, commented, “In a time of border closures and lockdowns, it’s even more important that we remember to make Father’s Day special. By turning dads into reminders their kids can’t unsee, we’re keeping Pepperjack top of mind and making sure no dad misses out on a gift with character.”
Ben Culligan, director marketing & category, Treasury Premium Brands, added, “With 40 million fewer cards sold on Father’s Day than Mother’s Day, we thought it was an opportune time to help remind Australian kids not to forget Dad’s special day. We are thrilled to be bringing the character of Pepperjack to life in a non-conventional, light hearted way. And with our Shiraz consistently being hailed as Australia’s #1 Shiraz by value2, it just goes to show that Pepperjack really is the perfect Father’s Gift for Dad or a loved one.”
The campaign ran in the week leading up to Father’s Day, with all large-scale activations hosted in South Australia or Western Australia to abide by lockdown restrictions.
Credits:
Client: Treasury Wine Estates
Director Marketing & Category, Treasury Premium Brands: Ben Culligan
Director Consumer Experience & Marketing Strategy, Treasury Premium Brands: Peter Randeria
Brand Manager: Georgie Ingram
Senior Public Relations Manager: Zoë Tostevin
Agency: Wunderman Thompson Melbourne
National Chief Creative Officer: João Braga
Associate Creative Directors: Jack Elliott; Lachlan Newham
Operations Director: Paulina Embart
Senior Engagement Lead: Katie Forster
Engagement Lead: Eleanor Henry
PR Agency: TLA Worldwide
Group Account Director: Ivana Bogut
Account Manager: Tess Buckley
Account Executive: Miranda Hatzimoisis
