Hello, new best friend.
Let’s have a drink.
From Tennessee Whiskey and Kentucky Bourbon, to cloudy Stouts and Argentinian Malbec, we know booze well. Maybe a little too well. We’d love to chat with you.
The category:
Our category experience runs deep. We’ve built press-gobbling creative campaigns for canned wine brand Archer Roose, run global creative for Jack Daniel’s, national initiatives for Diageo and product launches for Sam Adams. Just to name a few.
Archer Roose creates consciously crafted luxury wine in a can. The brand aims to deliver an artisan-quality wine at an affordable price-point and in alternative packaging. When CEO Marian Leitner founded Archer Roose in 2016, drinking wine out of an aluminum can was faux pas on a level with drinking soup with a dessert spoon. Her response, “Screw the category. Wine in a can means you can drink it anywhere, anytime.”
We agreed. Not only with that core insight, but with just about everything she’d done, like putting a steampunk-era rebel on top of a globe trekking moose as her brand’s icon. And teaming up with Elizabeth Banks as co-owner and Chief Creative Officer of the company.
The result is an ongoing campaign of brand creative that utilizes two distinct brand codes to drive both topline awareness as well as signups and sales down the funnel.
What we did:
Brand Strategy | Integrated Brand Campaign | Product & Retail Support | Video, Digital, Audio & Content Production | Brand Identity | Packaging
We took Archer Roose from regional startup to national trendsetter with an A-List celebrity endorser, Constellation investment, JetBlue affiliation and distribution in Target stores nationwide.
Outcomes:
Constellation Brands acquires minority stake
JetBlue partnership & distribution in Target, Sprouts & Meijer
Norm-Smashing social watch Metrics:
80%+ (!) completion rate for :60 on YouTube
70% VCR for Snake promotion
Surpassed FY23 Instagram follower growth goal in 4 months
Engagement rates from Brand campaign spiked 900%
Sam Adams is a craft beer that has outgrown the category it started. To consumers, “craft” has jumped the shark. We evolved the brand for a younger, more modern audience- pushing the graphic language and tone to new territories. We worked across the full product line from the flagship Sam Adams Lager to more seasonal offerings like Summer Ale and Octoberfest.
We helped move Sam Adams from a stodgy Dad beer brand found at airports to an energetic choice for multi-generational craft beer lovers.
We guided this iconic brand for many years. As the Global Creative Directors for Jack Daniel’s, we helped move the infamous Tennessee whiskey maker to record-breaking sales. In the process, our creative work was honored with shiny awards like Cannes Lions, Effie’s and One Show pencils. We launched Tennessee Honey- the most successful product launch in Brown Forman history. We helped create the foundational identity for Jack Daniel’s Rye, Fire, Single Barrel and Sinatra Select. Beyond traditional mediums, our creative work for the brand was seen in wallscapes, social campaigns, BBQ competitions, packaging, film festivals and immersive digital experiences.
We helped keep the Jack Daniel’s brand consistent and compelling while re-inventing what “specialness” means for a storied brand.
“Colossus is a small agency, unencumbered with the administrative overhead of a network agency. Their size contributes to their nimbleness while their spirits experience allows them to engage quickly.”
— Carmen D’Ascendis.
Former Global Marketing Director, Jack Daniel’s
Thanks for reading.
As you can see, our category experience runs deep. If you’ve got a brand problem or opportunity, we’d love to chat. Text me for the quickest response or send me an email at the link below.
Jonathan Balck
Managing Director, Colossus