Australian family-owned wine company Brown Brothers has partnered with digital advertising technology company Nexxen and media agency Hatched to strengthen their first-party data strategy.

The Milawa, Victoria-based winemaker’s goal was to boost awareness and in-store conversions for their Prosecco and fruity wine portfolio through a collaboration with ASX-listed beauty retailer Adore Beauty.
 

A proactive move

Brown Brothers had seen the uncertainty surrounding the future of cookies and wanted to adapt by using a smart approach to engage customers effectively, using their first party data.

The companies’ existing first-party data, including an email database, offered a starting point, but they wanted to refine it to reach both current and new audiences.

Brown Brothers wanted to deliver a national campaign that resonated with high-value audiences, those likely to enjoy Prosecco and fruity wines, who may also be fans of the Adore Beauty brand and line-up.

Hatched briefed Nexxen on the scope of the project: tap into Brown Brothers’ first-party data and leverage it to grow their reach. The campaign needed to incorporate precision targeting at a national scale to deliver measurable results.

Success hinged on using data intelligently to identify high-value audiences and expand the company’s database.
 

Leveraging first-party data

Nexxen and Hatched developed a clear plan to meet these objectives. The approach centred on three steps.

First, Brown Brothers’ existing first-party data, including their email database, was securely onboarded to Hatched ID to connect with their existing customer base. Hatched ID is the agency’s privacy-compliant identity solution developed to help their clients activate and leverage their first-party data across digital advertising platforms.

Next, Nexxen applied advanced lookalike modelling to identify new audiences who shared traits with Brown Brothers’ loyal customers.

The campaign then targeted 576,000 additional high-value consumers nationally from February to April 2024 using standard and high-impact display formats.

Hatched ID also allowed for continuous data enrichment, combining Brown Brothers’ first-party data with Nexxen’s proprietary data tools to sharpen audience insights. As the client refreshed their 1st party dataset throughout the campaign, the lookalike segments were continuously updated, keeping the targeting relevant and engagement high.

Monique Brougham, Brand Manager at Brown Brothers, praised the campaign. “Hatched faced an ambitious brief with tough targets and a limited budget, but they exceeded our expectations. Their use of Hatched ID and the strategy to keep enriching our first-party data made this our most successful engagement and on-pack promotion yet,” she said.
 

Massive gains

The campaign delivered strong outcomes. By June 2024, Brown Brothers had seen a 1,300 per cent year-on-year uplift in email addresses recorded, reflecting a surge in customer engagement.

The brand’s overall database grew by 48 per cent by the end of the 2024 campaign. Impressively, 96 per cent of users reached were new, having not engaged with the prior year’s campaign. Furthermore, Nexxen’s lookalike modelling contributed 576,000 in additional new high-value audiences.

These results highlight the value of adapting in the face of constantly changing technology and data targeting shifts. With their approach, Brown Brothers reached new audiences and strengthened their position for future campaigns. The partnership with Adore Beauty was also a great example of complementary marketing.

Whatever happens with cookies, this campaign demonstrates that businesses can turn their first party data into their strong asset.

For Brown Brothers, the investment paid off in measurable growth and a sharper understanding of their audience. As companies navigate tighter budgets and evolving privacy rules, strategies like this offer a practical way to stay competitive.