Wild Turkey launched its newest global campaign today, “Trust Your Spirit,” featuring the bourbon brand’s “Chief Storyteller” Matthew McConaughey.
The actor-director-potential future governor of Texas brings his own familiar persona to the campaign — vaguely southern, nostalgic and rugged — encouraging viewers in a knowing tone to: “trust your gut, trust your eyes, trust your ears, trust your friends — and the stories they allow you to tell.”
Behind him, archived footage of the Wild Turkey Rickhouse is projected across a screen surrounded by bourbon barrels. The campaign serves as a tribute to Jimmy Russell, a Wild Turkey master distiller and the longest-tenured active master distiller in the global spirits industry, as well as his son and fellow master distiller, Eddie Russell.
Watch Matthew McConaughey's latest Wild Turkey pitch: 'Trust Your Spirit'
The campaign features two 30-second spots, “Trust Your Spirit” and “Jimmy’s Spirit”, as well as a 15-second spot, “Stars.”
The commercials show off the brand’s Lawrenceburg, Kentucky roots and its redesigned Wild Turkey 101 bottles, which the Campari-owned brand made to better showcase the bourbon nestled inside. The spots feature music by Austin-based musicians Black Pumas and Chicago-based the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
“In all its forms, and just like Wild Turkey, 'Trust Your Spirit' is bold, inspired, and unapologetically confident,” McConaughey said in a statement. “It’s about celebrating both the primary and divine voice we all have inside. It’s life – undiluted.”
McConaughey joined Wild Turkey in 2016, serving as a creative director and chief storyteller for the bourbon brand. It was his first foray into creative direction, though he had a history in advertising, starring in campaigns for Lincoln. The “Trust Your Spirit” campaign will appear globally across digital and social media channels.
Beyond advertising, McConaughey’s seeming quest to become Hollywood's most diversified multi-hyphenate may extend all the way to the Texas Governor's mansion. In May, the star said he is giving a gubernatorial run "honest consideration" during an interview on "The Ellen Show."
