SIMI is an ultra-premium wine brand (industry talk for, “we fancy”) in a category where people are drinking less often, but better quality. So the brand was well poised to grow. But the business was struggling, and they were losing traction. Not because SIMI wine wasn’t tasty, but because no one knew who they were. To consumers, SIMI is just another beige bottle on the shelf. If they went away tomorrow, no one would really care. So our objective was simple, position the brand to make people care about the brand.
As an antidote to the patriarchal history lessons that clutter the premium wine and liquor category (read: Big men, with big hats and even bigger mustaches), we built the SIMI Wine brand platform “Goodness from Grit” around the relatively unknown story of the founding family’s matriarch. Isabelle Simi. Shining a light on an untold tale that is even more poignant and relevant today than it was a century ago. And in so doing, create empathy and connection with a modern consumer who understands good things take effort, time and resilience. Launched amidst a global pandemic that called upon a special kind of resilience within us all.
We also knew that to make this untold tale truly unforgettable, we had to apply a level of Hollywood craft that made it feel less like a piece of advertising and more like a piece of cinema. From our two-time Oscar-nominated Cinematographer, Seamus McGravey, to the legendary colorist Peter Doyle. (of The Lord of The Rings and The Matrix fame), to the highly crafted musical score, every choice we made was in service of elevating the scale and resonance of this tale worth telling.
We hope the outcome speaks for itself.
