01 / Market context
China's premium red-wine category was mature and highly competitive. The relaunch needed to give the brand a clearer point of relevance for younger premium consumers in the local market.
Selected case / 05
Wakefield / China brand localisation & Shanghai relaunch
Reintroducing a heritage Australian wine brand to the dynamic China market.
Reconnecting a refreshed Wakefield with China's consumers and priority partners through a local brand system, launch communication and a live Shanghai relaunch.
Shanghai relaunch / event film
01 / Context
A classic family winery entering a crowded premium market.
Give a three-generation winery a relevant China-market role.
At the time of the relaunch, Wakefield's established Australian heritage was already a meaningful brand asset. The opportunity was to translate this equity into a more distinctive, contemporary expression for China without diminishing the quality and provenance on which the brand was built.
02 / Relaunch mandate
- Retain the brand's established heritage and quality cues in a refreshed China-market expression.
- Create a clearer route to consumer relevance and re-engage priority Chinese distributors and partners around the relaunch.
02 / Delivery scope
Establish a China-market brand system, then bring it to life through the relaunch.
The relaunch was designed as one brand communication system. The China brand book established how Wakefield should be expressed in market; the launch then translated that expression into consumer-facing and partner-facing moments.
01 / Brand book
Define a China-market expression that carries Wakefield's heritage forward.
- Brand platform
China-market positioning and local brand book
- Visual system
Logo, signature key visual and Chinese typography
- Application rules
Social design, content formats and visual governance
02 / Launch event
Turn the refreshed expression into a shared market experience.
- Launch narrative
Heritage and quality, expressed through a refreshed local lens
- Partner experience
Event flow, stakeholder and vendor coordination
- Amplification
Media and KOL engagement, followed by event reporting
03 / China brand direction
Start with the way the category wins attention in China.
Create a China brand direction that could feel both credible and alive.
Consumer and competitor research preceded any asset work. It showed how distinctive imported wine brands use considered design, creative energy and lifestyle relevance to win attention from Chinese premium consumers.
Understand how younger premium consumers encounter imported wine.
Visual, social and experiential cues shape relevance alongside provenance.
Find a way to stand out without trading down the brand.
Heritage alone could recede in a crowded category; Wakefield needed more energy without losing authority.
Give the relaunch a distinctive visual centre.
The seahorse became the China key visual: a recognisable centre that carried heritage forward with more energy.
04 / Alignment & coordination
One direction, coordinated across the relaunch.
Keep the brand and its key partners moving in one rhythm.
Turn a complex launch into a shared operating rhythm.
Brand & client
Distributors & partners
Event & vendors
Media & KOL
Project leadcoordination rhythm
Maintain alignment from brand direction to market experience.
Brand intent
Partner confidence
Market experience
Shared direction
Relationship careclear roles + follow-through
05 / Live relaunch
Wake In Shanghai / Solo Garden / 29 October 2024
Bring the China brand direction into a live market moment.
The relaunch was designed to make Wakefield's refreshed local expression tangible for both trade partners and consumer-facing voices, in an experience where heritage met a more contemporary, social energy.
Theme“Wake In Shanghai” / Traditional meets modern luxury
ObjectiveReintroduce Wakefield in China while reconnecting with distributors and priority partners.
Location & timeSolo Garden, Shanghai / 3:30pm–9pm
7Wakefield team
10Jebsen team
5Australian government representatives
25Distributors & wine-industry partners
12Media & wine KOLs
Event day
A sequenced experience, designed for connection.
Move guests from welcome to product story, dialogue and shared celebration.
- 01Arrival & greetings
- 02Welcome speeches & interviews
- 03Masterclasses
- 04Networking in “Wakefield Land”
- 05Gala dinner & closing
06 / Performance & proof
Reported launch-promotion outcome
Extend the in-room experience into earned media and KOL conversation.
15media releases
20+KOL posts
1.75M+total exposure
165K+total views
1.4K+engagements
2024Shanghai relaunch
Selected amplification evidence
Media releases and KOL posts carried the relaunch beyond the event room.
Figures are reported in the reviewed event report. Media and KOL captures are shown here as controlled local-review evidence; budgets, commercial terms and attendee data remain private.
07 / Selected evidence
Additional event reference
Internal review only. Event photography is retained as contextual evidence; unpublished brand-book detail, vendor documentation, guest data and commercial terms are excluded.
08 / What this proves