Spring Racing Report

Fluttering in The Birdcage

Drinks at the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival

MELBOURNE’S SPRING RACING CARNIVAL HAS EVOLVED TO BE MORE THAN JUST A HORSE RACE, IT IS A GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED CARNIVAL OF FASHION, CELEBRITY, PARTIES AND LIVING THE GOOD LIFE, AND WHAT DRINKS BRAND WOULDN’T WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT FOR A WEEK IN NOVEMBER.

When you delve into the recent history of the world’s richest horse race, it could be said that the drinks industry has been pivotal in elevating the Melbourne Cup to the global status, number one ticket event it is today.

It was 1985 when beer brand Fosters became the Melbourne Cup’s first commercial sponsor raising the prize money to $1 million. This triggered a series of events that led to significant commercial benefit to any brand associating itself with the festival both in sales and exposure. Today the result of that is in spectacular display in the Birdcage where sponsors go to great lengths and millions in expense to claim their stake of the 17,000 square metre space of Birdcage real estate. The first company to stage an extravagant marquee in the Birdcage was Louis Vuitton in 1991. The activation included a no expenses spared display of yellow canaries in cages, bright yellow flowers and luxury furniture. Other companies soon followed and subsequent lavish marquees were staged by Saab, AAMI, Moët & Chandon and Myer.

The Birdcage refers to the area where horses are stabled in preparation for their race. The name can be traced back to the nickname for the saddling paddock at Newmarket racecourse in England. Flemington’s first Birdcage was established in 1887 to provide a barrier between the horses and the race goers. The exclusivity associated with the Birdcage stems from its proximity to the horses. In order to deter large numbers of punters from the area and the risk of pre-race horses getting ‘spooked’, a fee was charged to the enclosure and it became the privileged place to be seen.

This year the Carnival’s main drinks sponsors are Pernod Ricard’s Mumm Cordon Rouge and Absolut Vodka, Lion Co.’s Furphy and Treasury Wine Estate’s Seppelt. Sponsorship packages for the

Birdcage include race naming rights, national TV exposure, on-course signage and branding, executive privileges and special ticketing.

Beer brand Furphy is in its second year as Flemington’s major beer sponsor. A spokesperson for Lion Co. said the benefits could be felt not only at the track, but across other retail outlets over the week.

“The Melbourne Cup Carnival is one of the highlights in Australia’s sporting calendar. Lion, with Furphy Refreshing Ale as the VRC’s lead beer brand is so proud to be at the forefront of this iconic event.

“Sales of Furphy and Lion brands continue to grow year-on-year at Flemington racecourse, and the Carnival is also an extremely important time for on-premise venues Australia-wide, as people gather to watch the races, share a Furphy, and tell one too!

“The Furphy Deck, a ticketed space that is open to the public, sold out last year and we expect the Furphy activations around Flemington to continue to grow in popularity this year,” said a spokesperson for Lion Co.

The champagne sponsorship at Melbourne Spring Carnival is particularly coveted and lucrative. Although it was hard to extract the exact figure out of anyone, after some digging we uncovered that punters in the Birdcage at Flemington during Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival consume roughly 90,000 glasses of champagne. To the current sponsor that is the equivalent of roughly two thousand cases. Not a bad addition to the bottom line.

This year Mumm celebrates its 10th year as the official champagne of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Eric Thomson, Marketing Director for Pernod Ricard said this year will see the most luxurious and stylish celebrations yet. The only details released thus far is that it will involve a curated ‘degustation’ of premium experiences for guests in the two-story marquee.

Thomson says the Melbourne Cup Carnival offers ideal brand leveraging for the key sparkling sales months of October to December. He says the delivery of the world-class brand experience drives consumer awareness and sales.

Last year Mumm extended its sponsorship agreement with the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) for another five years as well as launched the first global flagship Mumm Champagne Bar in the new Club Stand at Flemington.

“Our association with racing has been a tremendous platform to showcase Mumm to the Australian public, resulting in a significant growth period and helping the brand to establish itself as a leader in the Australian market. During this time, we have solidified our position as the No.1 Champagne (IRI Australia Liquor MAT 28/07/19) and Australia has also become the largest international export market for Mumm,” said Thomson.

Bruce Keebaugh, MD and founder of The Big Group, has held the catering contract for Flemington for 30 years and has been responsible for all hospitality over the Melbourne Cup Carnival week at the track. He has experienced significant change in hospitality and sponsorship over this time, which he says has morphed into huge experiential brand activation platforms over the decades.

“Money is being moved and redirected from advertising into the activation environment. The Birdcage has evolved from hospitality to brand hospitality to brand activation experiences. Brands are valuing the activation environment as more of a value-spend than advertising,” Keebaugh said.

Keebaugh says the number of official Melbourne Cup Carnival sponsors is indicative of how far it has come over the years.

“The Birdcage marquees are global platforms for brand activation now and are some of the biggest in the world.

“People weren’t thinking about brands back then. Now it’s about the power of the environment. The sharing of stories and information has become everything.”

Also read on Drinks Trade online: www.drinkstrade.com.au/jaw-dropping-revampannounced-for-melbourne-cups-the-birdcage