I promoted sobriety in a campaign for a whiskey… and won gold.
Gen Z engages with alcohol the least among all eligible audiences. This has led to the rise of "sober curiosity",
a lifestyle where users don’t fully swear off booze or social drinking, but rather choose not to always drink. In this campaign, Maker’s Mark taps into sober-curious users by appealing to those Gen Zers who still want the social perks of drinking culture, giving them an avenue to tastefully indulge.
To help reinvent the existing identity while still being authentic to the brand’s roots, we created a style guide for all moderation-focused products and promotions, which was an ask from the brief.
We launched the Tasting Trail, where we promoted and hosted a bar crawl surrounding social holidays that started and ended at sober bars, enabling social interactions whilst encouraging moderation.
We promoted the Tasting Trail through OOH, with designs centered around social holidays in the hotbed of their popularity, i.e. Mardi Gras in New Orleans, NYE in NYC, St. Patricks Day in Chicago, etc.
We launched Dry Barrel, a zero-proof whiskey, and Maker’s Mixed, canned non-alcoholic mocktails.
These new products preserved the core Maker’s Mark identity while giving moderation-seekers an inclusive option.
We created a first-of-it’s-kind digital punchcard accessible through tap to pay, and partnered with bars on the Tasting Trail to give patrons a deal on NA Maker’s beverages, promoting sales and moderation.
D&AD New Blood Awards Entry
Client: Suntory Spirits/Maker’s Mark
Creative: Wesley Dean & Scott Dow