Evan Williams approached us to help launch its flavored bourbon range through an integrated campaign designed to introduce the line to a younger, more culturally engaged and diverse audience.
Working as part of the creative team at Method1, we developed a launch platform that positioned the flavors range as expressive, energetic, and socially driven, in contrast to the slower, more traditional visual language often associated with bourbon advertising.
Working as part of the creative team at Method1, we developed a launch platform that positioned the flavors range as expressive, energetic, and socially driven, in contrast to the slower, more traditional visual language often associated with bourbon advertising.
Client: Evan Williams [Heaven Hill Distillery]
Work: Campaign Development
Done while working at Method1. With Director Donnie Bauer and the Mill.
Work: Campaign Development
Done while working at Method1. With Director Donnie Bauer and the Mill.
The Opportunity:
Within the whiskey category, flavored products are often marketed either through traditional bourbon conventions or overly loud ‘enjoyment occasion’ advertising (backyard bbqs are fun, but you know...).
We saw an opportunity to build a campaign world that felt more contemporary and culturally connected. Using music, rhythm, color, and energy in a way that positioned the flavors line as confident and contemporary without losing the accessibility of the Evan Williams brand.
The Campaign:
This thinking led to “Bring the Flavor,” a campaign platform centered around energetic sensory expressions of freshness and bursts of flavor.
The integrated campaign extended across film, social, digital, retail, and experiential touchpoints while creating a cohesive launch identity for the flavored bourbon range.
The Visual Language:
The visual system leaned heavily into saturated color, piles of fresh fruit, fast-paced transitions, layered motion, and music-driven pacing to create a sensory world that felt dynamic and immersive.
Working alongside the team at The Mill, we developed a stylized launch film that blended bold product visuals, expressive environments, and rhythmic editing to establish the tone of the campaign and introduce the range with maximum impact.
Making this spot involved both live action and CGI—we worked on both aspects simultaneously, culminating in
a week long shoot, followed by couple of months of post production work with The Mill.
Amongst many other challenges, we were tasked with making a :30 spot that could then be cut down to a :15
for an individual flavor - which then eliminates the shots that feature the other 2 flavors.
Here’s the final product.
Additionally, I also worked with photographer Dean Lavenson in Lousiville, KY, to create a series of still images for the brand to extend the campaign beyond the spot. I worked on all the design collaterals, including the tagline lockup, flavor badges, and various other campaign elements seen below.
