9 January 2008

Wolf Blass, Australia's number one still bottled wine* with an annual growth of 6.5%** will launch a new television and print campaign on 14 January 2008. It marks a bold departure from previous Wolf Blass campaigns by introducing a mysterious, beautiful woman alongside the powerful and confident Eagle imagery. The campaign will run for three months, and is the biggest ad produced by a wine brand in the Foster's portfolio. View it at: www.wolfblass.com.au/brands/wolfblass/newad

The new TVC, entitled Silk Glove was created by BADJAR Ogilvy Melbourne who also produced the two previous campaigns. It was directed by internationally renowned director/cinematographer Jeff Darling.

Shot on location at the historic Werribee Mansion, cast and crew worked through two nights to create the intriguing, intertwining narratives of the captivating, atmospheric ad. It stars Cynthia Kirschner who is a New York based, international model and an entirely fresh face for Australian TV.

The haunting background music, underscored by a pulsating heartbeat, was composed by Cezary Skubiszewski, one of Australia's foremost composers, who is responsible for the soundtracks to several successful Australian films, including Two Hands and, most recently, The Book of Revelations. A string quartet made up of musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra recorded the soundtrack.

"The crafted cinematic style and high production values of the new Wolf Blass campaign sets it apart from previous wine ads and establishes a new benchmark for the wine category. It remains true to the brand, while evolving the successful Eagle campaign to have a greater universal appeal and drive quality perceptions to a new level," said Oliver Horn, Global Brand Director, Wolf Blass.

The ad depicts the relationship between the beautiful and mysterious woman and the eagle in the grand and impressive setting of the mansion. The ad culminates in the image of the eagle descending onto the woman's outstretched, silk gloved arm. This image, which extends to the print campaign, is a powerful metaphor of power and elegance.

"The strength and power of the Wedgetail Eagle strongly reflects the personality of Wolf Blass wines. But there is another side to the wine — Wolf Blass wines also exhibit an elegance and sophistication and we have created a TVC that brings these two sides together and positions the brand as the perfect combination of power and elegance," said Pam Kaplan, Creative Director, BADJAR Olgivy.

* Source based on data reported by Nielson through its ScanTrack Liquor Service for the Wine category for the MAT period ending 30 November 2007 for the Australian off premise liquor market. Foster's calculation based in part on data reported by Nielsen through its ScanTrack Liquor Service for the Wine Category, Red & White Bottled wine segment (Foster's-defined) for the 52-week period ending November 30, 2007, for the Australian off premise liquor market. (Copyright © 2007, The Nielsen Company)

** Nielson Scan data by value growth MAT 30/11/07