• by Fern Siegel , May 11, 2023

Bourbon brand Wild Turkey prides itself on an independent American spirit.

That sensibility is evident in its new global campaign “Trust Your Spirit,” which features musicians Shakey Graves, Matt Corby and Yoohei Kawakami. The creative uses music to underscore the ethos of trusting yourself, rather than bowing to the crowd. Wild Turkey embraces that same drive.

The spots first debuted in Japan and Australia via social, digital and audio. They run in the U.S. this fall.

Raul Gonzalez, Campari’s global managing director for spirits, told Agency Daily the original inspiration for the campaign came from master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell, with a combined 100+ years of experience. “While the creative was inspired by the legacy of Wild Turkey, we also recognized that this passion and commitment exists in many different industries and disciplines, which is why we worked with these talented musicians to express this idea through music.”

Wild Turkey in-house creative director Josh Combs is responsible for the spots. Landia is the production agency.

In partnership with iHeartMedia, Wild Turkey will also offer whiskey lovers and music fans an opportunity to visit the Wild Turkey Lounge at select music festivals across the country and attend 101 Bold Nights concerts, headlined by talent such as Shakey Graves and The Black Keys. The lounge is featured in the ads.

Graves, Corby and Kawakami are at the bar sharing their stories, before performing their own songs in the spots. After each performance — "Roll the Bones" by Shakey Graves, "Big Smoke" by Matt Corby — the artists return to the listening lounge to toast to the journey with a Wild Turkey Bourbon.

The brand also teamed with BRING, Universal Music For Brands and Eleven PR and Corby to launch its new platform Music 101 — a purpose-led music and experiential campaign featuring a mentorship program for aspiring Australian artists and a series of live off-grid gigs.

Wild Turkey core bourbon grew 26.2% in 2022, driven by core markets such as the U.S., South Korea and Australia, the company reports. It attributes the growth to a revival of classic cocktails in the on-premise channel and at-home mixology.