Adam Gilchrist’s new tequila brand, El Arquero, wants to change our relationship with the infamous Mexican spirit. Emotive is partnering with Gilly and has enlisted the help of The Monkeys co-founder Justin Drape to bring El Arquero to market. B&T was on hand to learn more about El Arquero, the ‘We’re All In It Tequila’ creative platform, and why Emotive’s new incubator model might symbolise a step change in how agencies work with brands to go to market.
There was a moment when the Australian cricket team was toiling on Day Four of the 2001 Calcutta test when star wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist wished he could have a sip of El Arquero, his new premium tequila brand that launches in Australia today.
After the first innings, India was on the ropes. When Australia pushed its lead to 486 runs, they were odds-on favourites for a famous victory, until VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid stepped in on Day Four.
“Basically, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted all day on day four,” Gilchrist told B&T. “I reckon at some point throughout that day, a little sip Al Arquero might have just lifted my spirits a bit and given me a chance to just push on with a bit more rigour.”
Rigour is at the heart of what ‘Gilly’ wants to bring to the tequila game in Australia. For the past ten years he has tasted some of the finest drops around the world, and in the past five years decided that he wanted to launch an Australian version that does the agave plant-based spirit justice.
“What probably drew my interest even deeper was the fact that Australia seemed to be a relatively immature palette for tequila compared to America or Mexico or South America,” he said, check out the founders’ story at further below.
“With that in mind, it became a point of interest to try and create a flavour profile that Australians who are either new to tequila or being reintroduced to tequila after past bad experiences will find it a much smoother experience.”
An Aussie ‘goalkeeper’
The name ‘El Arquero’ is derived from the Spanish term that means ‘goalkeeper’. Australia’s most famous gloveman describes it as “a subtle play on my past, referencing where my former life (as a professional cricketer) ends and my new life begins”.
He still has the napkin where his team, including close friend, manager and business partner Stephen Atkinson, scribbled down various brands ideas to work out what would stick.
Gilchrist wanted the El Arquero brand to unite the Mexican and Australian cultures, representing both countries’ love of an outdoor lifestyle and sun.
“It’s a nice little subtle play on all of these elements,” Gilchrist said. “And, let’s put it this way, it’s a more subtle brand than ‘Ponting Wines’.
After months of learning, development and refining the product and brand, Gilchrist partnered with Emotive, led by Simon Joyce and lead strategist Sebastian Revell, to bring his product and vision to life.
“We were trying to tailor a liquid profile that was going to be something that people coming back to it, or new to tequila that people won’t be put off by. We don’t want this aggressive hot burn sort of ethanol taste at the back end and right from the start have been absolutely uncompromising about it being additive free. For me, the purity of the product really shines through,” Gilchrist said.
In spite of its premium and delicious taste – which B&T can vouch for – Gilchrist said El Arquero is a tequila for all Australians and designed to be shared.
Power to the people
El Arquero’s tagline, ‘We’re all in it tequila’, is not just a catchy play with words, it’s a statement that aims to redefine how premium spirits are currently marketed.
Emotive’s executive strategy partner Revell was one of the architects of the tagline.
“We ended up speaking to people like bartenders, food and drink journalists, trying to understand what is the positioning, perspectives and usages of tequila currently in Australia,” he said.
“We wanted to know what people thought of tequila, first and foremost. And then we did a category analysis to understand how other premium brands were showing up.
“It was clear as day what was happening in the premium spirit category, not just tequila. It was all about the achievements of the individual. Strive for your achievement, your goals, your objectives, your perfection.
“Whereas beer is all about the power of the collective, people coming together and having a good time. We want to change conventions of the category of premium spirits from individual ambition to the collective… we want to create a movement of a premium spirit that’s finally for the people, bringing people together, not for individualistic purposes.”
Gilchrist added that El Arquero isnʼt just tequila, “it’s a spirit that connects worlds”.
“Beyond cricket, this has been a lifelong dream. Travelling to Mexico, hand-picking the finest ingredients, learning the craft and building both the team and the business has been an incredible journey. To now see it bottled and on shelves is a true ‘pinch yourself’ moment. At its heart, El Arquero is about togetherness and sharing moments and thatʼs exactly what this campaign captures. Partnering with Emotive to bring that vision to life has been brilliant.”
Incubator model
The El Arquero launch is the first brand to benefit from Emotive’s incubator model. This sees the independent creative agency invest in the brand, and bring in experts who are proven in building brands from the ground up. That meant calling on Justin Drape, co-founder of The Monkeys and Exceptional Alien, as creative director and co-writer for this project.
“When youʼre building brands from scratch, you need to create a long-term idea that unifies the entire business. Thatʼs exactly what we have with ‘Weʼre all in this tequilaʼ,ʼʼ said Drape. “Working with Gilly, the El Arquero team and Emotive from the inception of this project has been a great experience. And because Gilly is co-founder, star of the show and client all at once, decisions were swift, thoughtful, effective and respectful.”
Revell told B&T that Emotive had been looking to act as a brand incubator for some time, and that El Arquero provided the perfect launch partner.
“What the thing that we were noticing within the last 12 and 18 months really, is that many more smaller startup businesses were coming to us, looking for brand direction at inception, before they’ve even gone to market,” he said.
“Many of these businesses don’t have experience or knowledge in how to market and make their brand magnetic, or their business magnetic to the masses,” he said. “They might have an amazing product, and many of them do, but products do things, and brands mean things.”
Emotive draws upon a team of senior specialists in creative, strategy, design, earned media, partnerships and social to help start-ups go to market.
“I couldn’t speak any more highly of the tone, the engagement and the partnership philosophy of Emotive,” Gilchrist said.
“With Seb presenting ideas and Simon as the leader at every level of engagement throughout the process, nowhere did we feel pressured or pushed.
“Sometimes you have to sit back and trust the creatives that you’re engaging with, and we’re really confident that they’ve nailed it.”
Production was delivered in partnership with Wellcom, which led production for the hero film, while a separate team from Emotive Productions led social content.
Foxtel Media has come on board as a media partner and will help deliver scale and precision targeting nationally, with chief executive Mark Frain noting: “Through our sports advertising offerings, we connect brands like El Arquero with highly engaged audiences across the country. Supporting Gilly, a long-time Foxtel family member, makes this partnership especially meaningful.”
