News

Dan Murphy’s mythologises its founder in Thinkerbell campaign

Endeavour Group’s Dan Murphy’s has launched a new brand direction and campaign via independent agency Thinkerbell.

The campaign focuses on the eponymous founder of the retail alcohol brand, detailing his life and founding of the company.

The one-minute, 21-second film features the story of Dan Murphy, starting an underground wine club and discovering Champagne, both the place and the wine, during World War II. The video then ends with a nun stating: “He always did it his way”.

The campaign also features 30-second, 15-second and 6-second spots. A 15-second spot can be seen below.

Dan Murphy’s head of marketing & loyalty Monique Holmes said: “Helping Australia drink better sits at the heart of so much of what we do day-in-day-out. The spirit of improvement and discovery is something that’s been with the brand since Dan Murphy first established it back in 1952. That’s why when it came time for a brand idea, we couldn’t go past the intriguing stories that shaped the man himself.”

Dan Murphy’s managing director Alex Freudman commented: “If you ask Australians, many don’t know that ‘Uncle Dan’ was a wine-loving entrepreneur who created innovations that have shaped the Australian drinks industry… He was passionate about making great drinks accessible to everyone, his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit still very much live on at Dan Murphy’s today.”

Thinkerbell executive creative tinker Tom Wenborn added: “It’s a daunting task, reimagining the life of someone like Dan Murphy, his wily attitude made such a big impact on an entire industry. While he deserved his own kick-ass biopic or novel, we’ve started with a series of commercials, which in a way we think he would have been happier with, having written and directed his own commercials throughout his time. We’re incredibly proud of how the team pulled this piece together, from the research to the production, the time-travelling has been well worth it.”

The campaign is on television, out-of-home (OOH), instore, press and online.

One of the OOH creatives

One of Thinkerbell’s previous campaigns for Dan Murphy’s, for Christmas 2020, focused on the liquor retailer’s ability to handle the holidays.

Dan Murphy’s owner, Endeavour Group, separated from Woolworths Group on 28 June 2021.

Credits:

Dan Murphy’s part of Endeavour Group

Jo Rose – Chief Marketing Officer, Endeavour Group

Monique Holmes – Head of Marketing & Loyalty, Dan Murphy’s

Sarah Tencer – Marketing Manager, Brand, Dan Murphy’s

Thinkerbell

Di Nash – Head Production Tinker

Jamie Lane – Studio COP

Seamus Fagan – Lead Creative Tinker

Marcus Byrne – Lead Design Tinker

Nick Bennett – Head Thinker

Josh Parmenter – Lead Creative Tinker

Will Cook- Lead Thinker

Dom Counahan – Executive Brand Thinker

Adam Ferrier – Chief Thinker

Jack Dinsmoor – Lead Design Tinker

Tom Wenborn – Executive Creative Tinker

Jaime Morgan – General Manager

Jim Ingram – Chief Creative Tinker

Margie Reid – CEO

Production:

MOFA

Nick Kelly – Director

Llew Griffiths – Executive Producer

Alice Grant- Producer

Patrick Bennett – Art Director

Sophie Barker – Wardrobe

Edward Goldner – DOP

Music:

Electric Dreams

Cornel Wilczek – Composers

Leyla Varela – Executive Producer

Casting:

Studio P

Peta Dermatis – Casting Director

Sound:

Bang Bang Studios

Paul Baxter

Holli Dee

Post:

ARC

Peter Sciberras and Lucas Baynes – Editors

Fergus Rotherham – Grade

Chris Reynolds – Online

Freya Maddock – Senior Producer

This article has been updated with a list of the shorter spots.

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.