Bird in Hand
The Brand
Of all the players to emerge in the Australian wine world over the past generation, Bird in Hand is among the most impressive. Just a couple of decades past its genesis, the young Adelaide Hills winery competes on par with long established world-class winemakers, winning the coveted Winestate Australian Winemaker of Year award two years running, among highest praises for its stunning shirazes, cabernets and chardonnays. But for Bird in Hand founder Andrew Nugent, great wine is just a jumping-off point for a great life. Through frequent strategic collaborations, the brand reaches its fingers into the worlds of fashion, design, art and music.
The Task
Wine writing is notoriously stodgy, filled with clichés about the ancient world and the richness of the earth. Athough Bird in Hand builds on a centuries-old craft, it is a young company with a modern mindset, and it needed a brand voice to reflect its unique positioning, influenced by fashion and art. We were tasked to tell the winery's story through a streamlined new eCommerce web site (in partnership with Matte Projects) and apply the same voice strategy to subsequent print and digital projects that would create awareness, affinity and conversion.
The Execution
We took an Australian approach to sophistication—without resorting to regional slang. Borrowing inspiration from adventure-fashion lines and modern luxury houses, we created a voice for Bird in Hand that speaks more like a cultural authority than a beverage brand. Laid back yet sophisticated, the writing combines an innate pastoral feel with a wordly viewpoint. Never snobby, always intriguing, the Bird in Hand voice imitates the storytelling style of a particularly cultured dinner party guest, an adventurer and art maven who scours the world for life affirming experiences and then shares his finds warmly, for the pure joy of it. The overall voice strategy is to represent the brand's distinctive attitude across platforms, throughout Bird in Hand's many inspired projects.
Projects
eCommerce Website
A new eCommerce site, created in partnership with Matte Projects, tells the unique story of Bird in Hand, including an historic timeline of the Australian wine tradition that leads to the present-day Adelaide Hills, where the winery lives happily on the site of a former gold mine turned dairy farm. The content encourages exploring as much as shopping, detailing the winemaking process and highlighting the winery's various events and brand experiences, including live concerts and on-site restaurants. Users can shop four tiers of wines by price, varietal and vintage and explore the company's luxury home decor collaborations freely.
Premium Print Book
Bird in Hand's eye-popping print collaboration with luxury book publisher Assouline features sweeping photos showcasing the winery's pastoral beauty, on-site eateries, glamorous parties and events abroad, as well as its philanthropic efforts at home in Adelaide. (And, oh yes, its award-winning wines.) Edited by C. Black Content founder Cristina Black, the tome carries the Bird in Hand brand voice through to a book-bound narrative detailing the story of a young yet exceptional Australian winery.