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WILD DIFFERENT
Brand Experience | Live Client
Chosen as one of two winners by the client
"We love this idea and can see it being implemented 2-3 years down the road when we have a better footing."
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TL;DR
THE BRIEF:
Connect with consumers to generate hype and excitement around the Whiskeysmith brand while making whiskey more approachable/accessible through the gateway of easy and delicious flavors.
THE DRAMA:
Messing with the flavor of Whiskey is seen as an affront to tradition.
THE CONCLUSION:
Take Whiskey out of the "Wild West" and "Wild Different" with the Wild Spirit Rodeo - a modern take on the rodeo tropes that we all know and (maybe) love.
How can Whiskeysmith "Own the Unexpected" in the whiskey category?
the cultural truth
WE LIVE IN A
OF FLAVOR
GOLDEN AGE
GOLDEN AGE
Every generation before us came and went without knowing the answer to “What if these Oreos tasted like blueberry pie?” But we don't have to. We can get anything we want in any flavor we want.
the whiskey truth
however
You can introduce a 45th flavor of Pringles and nobody’s gonna bat an eye, but if you mess with
WHISKEY
the torches and pitchforks come out.
the problem
WHY?
when it comes to whiskey, every change is seen as an
AFFRONT TO TRADITION
THE TRUTH IS 200 YEARS IN THE PAST
A LOT HAS CHANGED
however
since Jim Beam distilled that first batch of whiskey in 1795.
(the tension, the drama!)
TRAIN ROBBERIES ARE WAY DOWN
(thank goodness)
THE WILD, WILD WEST IS NOW JUST
"THE WEST"(how lame)
and
whiskey is hitting the shelves of a liquor store near you.
banana-flavored
THERE'S A NEW SPIRIT IN TOWN
YEE-HAW!
we have the opportunity to
BLAZE OUR OWN TRAIL
in the whiskey category and reclaim its tropes
OLD COWBOY
from
we may not get our whiskey from a saloon anymore, but the cowboy mindset isn't going anywhere.
Just don't be surprised if it's a little less John Wayne and Clint Eastwood...
NEW COWBOY
to
and a little more like Lil' Nas X
and Orville Peck.
The modern cowboys.
WILD ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE.
the strategy
WELCOME TO A NEW FRONTIER OF FLAVOR.
the campaign
WILD DIFFERENT.
THE BIG EVENT
Introducing the Wild Spirit Rodeo - a modern take on an old tradition where we take the famous tropes of real, western rodeos but bring them from "Old Cowboy" to "New Cowboy". This is the New Frontier of Flavor for a whiskey rodeo.
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Disco Saloons, Barrel Raving, Buckin' Banana, and a Wild Wild Drag Show
Introducing the Wild Spirit Rodeo, the event that combines old rodeo tropes with modern cowboys.
We Wild Wilder.
THE
EVENT MAP
THE MAIN STAGE
The Wild Spirit Rodeo will launch in the motherland of Whiskeysmith: Denver, CO. On the main stage of the rodeo will be the Wild Wild Drag Show hosted by famous drag queen Trixie Mattel.
THE SALOONS
Arguably the main attraction, Whiskeysmith Saloons will be placed at opposite ends of the event. Each will serve whiskey straight, whiskey cocktails like the 'Quick-Draw Drizzle', and whiskey specialties like the '6-Shooter': a rotating revolver cylinder loaded with six shots of Whiskeysmith's most popular flavors.
BARREL RAVING
True wild ones know that nothing gets your heart racing more than a rave. That's why Whiskeysmith has replaced Barrel Racing with Barrel Raving, a roller rink rave with live DJs, whiskey barrel drink stations, and cowboy boot skate rentals.
BUCKIN' BANANAS
A rodeo wouldn't be a rodeo without bull riding, but Whiskeysmith does things differently. So naturally, they replaced the bulls with bananas (for their famous banana-flavored whiskey) and created Buckin' Bananas instead. Yee-haw!
SPUR OF THE MOMENT DISCO
Spur of the Moment Disco does what spurs do best, get us moving. The disco dance floor will be accessible at all times, but periodically throughout the day a disco ball will drop, the floor will light up, and an MC will take the mic and call everyone to the dance floor.
MARKETING
We created an own-able event that lives within the Whiskeysmith brand and can extend past the event itself.
OOH
"Wild" postings and OOH ads that will help generate awareness for Whiskeysmith before and after the event placed in bars like old-fashioned beer and liquor posters.
SOCIAL
We want to keep the party going on social by having short videos introducing the event and showing how with Whiskeysmith, we Wild Different.
MERCH
Of course with a brand like Whiskeysmith and an event like the Wild Spirit Rodeo, we needed some wild merch. Let's just say we had some fun with these western tropes.
The word wild has many definitions. From the great, wild outdoors to the Wild Wild West to adding a wild new flavor to whiskey.
LET'S GIDDY-ON-UP OUTTA HERE
WILD IS ANYTHING BUT EXPECTED
which is exactly how we envision Whiskeysmith “Owning the Unexpected" - by confronting all these tropes of “wild” that are found in the whiskey category and putting our own unique spin on them. By doing that, we can really capture the duality central to the brand:
acknowledging the traditions that brought us to where we are
while injecting them with new spirit.
Because with Whiskeysmith, We Wild Wilder.
THE TEAM:
KAELAN BROWN, Experience Designer
GRIFFIN DREW, Art Director
DANNY TODESCA, Copywriter
JOSH ZINGER, Strategist
MY ROLE:
Creative management
Brand audit & research
Strategy development
Creative concepting
Photoshoot balloon thrower
Deck narrative & design
Final presentation to client
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