Tasked with bringing to life the concept of an ARCO “Straight Up Gas Institute”, I developed a wry voice for a no-frills place of fuel-related financial wisdom . Integrated campaign featured outdoor, print, radio, & digital.
This “Field Test” won gold from the Outdoor Advertising Awards.
(No nickels were harmed in the making of this billboard.)
KEY INSIGHT: 2020 SUCKED
To capture the zeitgeist of a horrible year, I pitched the idea of bringing back the cult fave “Sucks” Ale out of retirement. And marketing it as commentary on the year we all were in the dumps.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT: PIN TRADE
In a time where there was minimal human contact, we offered fans a chance to make a tangible connection with the brewery—through real-life snail mail. They send in any pin of their own and we’d mail them back this ‘commemorative’ 2020 Sucks pin.
MERCH: 2020 SUCKS SHIRT
These shirts were the top seller of the Lagunitas Schwag Shop—selling out within the first week.
Lagunitas’ love affair with cannabis is as long and tangled as its relationship with beer & music.
And since combining hops and cannabis—in a zero-calorie beverage—was as revelatory as going from mono to stereo, I named it Hi-Fi Hops. And yes, the ‘high’ inference was purely a bonus track.
I wanted to treat this like we were really releasing an entirely new liquid. To feel like something out of a surreal music video. Only more ‘elevated’.
We launched with teasers showing a floating, alien-like sparkling liquid; vaguely shaped like the Lagunitas “splotch” on the label. Then dove into more of the music side of the brand.
Promo Item & Social Content: Zoetrope Turntable Slipmats
I enlisted the talented Drew Tetz to create a set of turntable slipmats that “animate” on your iPhone (thanks to the wonders of framerates! whoa).
Website
ONWARD & UPWARD
When we ‘released’ this liquid in Colorado, we made our surreal introduction by floating through some notable locales.
The mad scientist brewers at Lagunitas dreamed up a brand new style of IPA: a hybrid of New England hazy and clear West Coast IPAs.
I named it The Beast of Both Worlds and developed a modern kaiju visual concept to bring this Bi-Coastal story to life. Leveling up the Lagunitas dog with a big new persona, helping communicate the towering 8% alcohol content.
^launch email
^social content
I was honored to write these TV scripts and work on set with director Darren Aronofsky. Career highlight for sure.
::
Teens are naturally curious. They think they know everything. Often misinformation from peers; like, “is meth really that addictive?”.
Our strategy was that the more informed you are, the smarter your decisions will be—so just ask.
For research I listened to countless interviews with teen meth addicts. All heartbreaking. Most with recurring themes of betraying family members, selling your body, and generally losing control. The one I heard most often? Regret.
^Billboards and digital banners all helped drive to [ask] …
THE QUESTIONS ARE THE WEBSITE. THE CONTENT IS THE TRUTH.
Anchoring the entire campaign was a website front-loaded with all the questions you could imagine, answered by clinical facts as well as animated stories using audio of real addict testimonials.
::
David Ogilvy said “The best ideas come as jokes …“
As we fleshed out the ARCO ‘Straight Up Gas Institute‘ we began filling it with different characters who were there to save you money at the pump.
Enter ARCOmedes.
Here to dole out straight-up ancient wisdom for modern savings. And maybe snag a bite of your donut.
ARCOmedes’ prophetic wisdom proved so endearing, we made ancient motivational posters for ARCO office walls. Very moving.
