Social Soup, Australia and New Zealand’s community-driven influence company, has launched Australia’s first wine creator community, House of Winefluence, with long-term partner Treasury Wine Estates (TWE).
The new initiative will see Social Soup build and implement an exclusive, always-on creator community for TWE and is the first program of its kind for the alcohol industry in Australia.
House of Winefluence opens in August and will deliver monthly content and activity over a 12-month cycle. Social Soup will draw on its creator academy, a curated bench of more than 200 creators, providing monthly activity, and generating upwards of 1,000 pieces of content across three of TWE’s wine brands: Squealing Pig, Pepperjack and 19 Crimes.
Social Soup Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sharyn Smith, said: “House of Winefluence is a step-up in terms of our capability to deliver rolling influencer activity with clients. It’s a first in the Australian alcohol industry so we are beyond excited to see it launch.
“We’ve shifted our community of creators from campaigns to a true always-on academy, built once and activated every month. Instead of re-briefing and re vetting creators every time, TWE now has a standing roster of more than 200 wine lovers who know the brands, trust the products and show up month after month.
“TWE has been the perfect partner to launch this with. We’ve been building this model for years and can’t wait to put it to the test to prove how it compounds investment over time. TWE gets long-term relationships with local creators, a rolling pipeline of content, and the efficiency of working with people who already know the brands,” she said.
TWE Marketing Manager – Digital and Social Media, Ari Wytwornik, said: “Wine is one of the world’s most enduring social connectors that needs to continue to evolve with today’s consumer. House of Winefluence is about breaking down barriers, celebrating the story behind every bottle and showing that wine can be enjoyed your way, for any occasion.
“As an industry, we need to make wine more approachable and relevant for the next generation of consumers. We’re excited to continue our partnership with Social Soup, leaders in the creator space, to bring this industry-first program to life for Australian consumers.”
TWE’s award-winning in-house agency, Splash, developed the House of Winefluence brand identity, creating a distinctive platform to bring the program and its creator community to life.
Last year’s program included a series of Influencer partnerships across three waves, while House of Winefluence has been developed as a continuous program through UGC creators.
Sharyn said: “When a brand goes quiet between campaigns, it loses momentum with audiences and creators. Always-on means TWE has a standing community of creators who can respond to a product launch, a seasonal moment, or a cultural trend without starting from scratch. If something new happens in the business tomorrow, the community is already there and ready to activate.”
