• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, September 8, 2016

Kentucky bourbon brand Wild Turkey, seeking to reinforce its iconic status, has launched a new global campaign called “It’ll Find You,” created with WPP’s J. Walter Thompson New York.

A new TV spot for the campaign—directed and featuring Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey--was released today.

The spot opens on a glass of Wild Turkey being artfully poured by a woman in a speakeasy. She then sashays toward a lively jazz joint next door.  During the scene, McConaughey’s voiceover intones: “We’re not in a rush to be most popular. Not in a rush not to be.”

“Real bourbon, no apologies,” the actor adds. “If it’s for you you’ll know.”

The final scene cuts to McConaughey playing jazz piano. The woman hands him the glass of Wild Turkey. which he accepts with a hearty thank you, before signing off with: “Wild Turkey, It’ll find you.”

The ad is said to be McConaughey’s directorial debut, for which he received a Creative Director credit. The New Orleans-style jazz music in the ad (selected by McConaughey) was from The Hot 8 Brass Band.

The television spot is now running in the U.S.  The global campaign also includes broadcast, print, and digital components.  

“Matthew McConaughey’s unflinching creative style and voice are the perfect fit for a brand like Wild Turkey, which has been doing things its own way for decades,” stated Bob Kunze-Concewitz, CEO at Wild Turkey parent company Gruppo Campari. “With this new television campaign, he has tapped into what so many Wild Turkey fans understand about the brand and themselves – take pride in the choices you make, even if they are different, because they make you who you are.”

The brand has been a cultural fixture for decades and the libation of choice for luminaries such as Hunter S. Thompson. It's also been featured in novels (by Stephen King, David Foster Wallace and others) films ("Monster’s Ball," "Thelma & Louise") and TV series ("Justified," "The Sopranos").