Taboo and East of Everything bring out Melbourne Racing Club’s wild side in new campaign
The Melbourne Racing Club is inviting patrons to experience a ‘different kind’ of carnival, with the launch of the ‘It’s Time to Re-Wild’ campaign for the 2023 Caulfield Cup Carnival, via creative agencies Taboo and East of Everything.
The new campaign aims to serve as an open invitation to embrace a more vibrant and new world of food, fashion, fun and racing at Caulfield.
“As a brand and business, we are dedicated to opening the sport up to more people through unexpected and immersive experiences,” said Melbourne Racing Club’s chief customer officer, Jeremy Francis.
“We knew to drive engagement and reach new audiences, our marketing and on course experience needed to challenge the old ways and be unashamedly future focused.”
The creative breaks away from typical racing stereotypes, instead bringing to life Melbourne Racing Club’s progressive spirit to make racing be more open and welcoming. Spencor Gabor, renowned New York-based artist was tapped to create the colourful characters, which was then brought to life by Melbourne animators SOMA Studios, with music by Squeak E Clean.
Melbourne Racing Club’s general manager of marketing, Ashley Curnow said: “We’re eager to push the boundaries with this year’s Caulfield Cup Carnival campaign, and approach not only the way we market racing, but sport more broadly.
“Engaging an artist like Spencer Gabor was key and allowed us to employ a more modern lens on our campaign. His stunning, abstract work is the perfect creative to attract new audiences and reiterate MRC’s point of difference in the racing category,” she added.
An OOH execution
Grant Rutherford, ECD and co-founder of East of Everything, said: “No slow-motion horses, stock photography or grandiose music, this isn’t your typical Spring Racing campaign. Building on the brand strategy we were tasked to come up with something that felt different for the category. Everyone came together to build this wild world – from TABOO, Spencer, Soma, Squeak E and the fabulous crew at the MRC.”
Taboo’s creative director, Melba Gounas, added: “In an era where local sporting events play on a global stage and are upping the ante with all-around experiences, MRC doesn’t aim to simply join the crowd. Rather, our ‘It’s Time to Re-wild’ campaign is inspired by the liberating spirit of festivals.
“We aim to engage audiences in new, positive ways – encouraging everyone to unleash their wild side, however they define it.”
The integrated campaign is rolling out across TV, online video, social, OOH, digital, experiential and on-track activity.
Credits:
East of Everything
Strategy director, partner: Kat Kelly
Creative director, co-founder: Grant Rutherford
Taboo
Managing director: James Mackinnon
Creative director: Melba Gounas
General manager: Kate Prowse
Designer: Trent Bucknell
Group account director: Lauralee Cuzner
Account manager: Emma Golding
Producer: Hannah Cleary
Melbourne Racing Club
General manager – marketing: Ashley Curnow
Head of marketing: Sarah Addis & Ellen Wilson
Creative director: Nic Lehman
Marketing campaign specialist: Ebony Ross
Spencer Gabor – Artist collaborator/illustrator
Media: Half Dome
Soma Studios – Animation production
Oz Smith – Creative direction/animator
Charlotte Parsons – Producer
Jeric Ilagan – Animator
Shashank Mani – Animator
Gabriel Gareso – Animator
Squeak E. Clean Studios
Music composition & sound post production
Music producer: Richie Buxton
Music composer: Oliver Duke
Senior producer : Laura Hesse
Sound designer : Dee Gjedsted
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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