• Old Elk tapped us to be the SWAT team for various projects throughout the year. This was a mix of print, campaign ideation, digital activations, in-store experience, awards announcements + influencer programs.

    Across these projects the strategy remained the same:

    The bourbon category has long been associated with cold + cozy nights, with sales ticking up in the darker months. Our job was to change that mindset + put Old Elk at the forefront of a new mentality around bourbon. Through a drumbeat of brand campaign activity, the strategy was the same: make bourbon the go-to beverage for a wider breadth of occasions, both big + small.

CAMPAIGN

Old Elk, New Toasts

Part ☝️ of our endeavor was to redefine the time + place for a toast. Old Elk is not just for those typical dark liquor moments at weddings, birthdays, or fireside holidays – new occasions are worthy of world-class whiskey as well. 

Enter: the Toasts campaign. We seeded the work in-store + at events — places where people were planning for or already in a social mindset. Custom toasts appeared across  bar napkins, coasters + bottle-neckers to pique interest.

We then went full-bore across paid + owned social, sparking inspiration for new whiskey occasions + ultimately driving consumers to an AI-powered bespoke toast generator that lived on Old Elk’s website.

CAMPAIGN

Summer Wheat

Part ✌️ was focused on creating new usage occasions for Old Elk’s wheated bourbon lineup during warmer weather. Our charge was to make “Hot Wheat Summer” a thing.

This beat, which ran largely on paid digital, aimed at pairing whiskey with summer activities. We even ran weather-triggered display that encouraged folks to knock off early when the temps hit 75°.

We also reinforced the message through strategic OOH placements, running a few billboards on popular routes to seasonal destinations like the Hamptons, Lake Tahoe + Lake Michigan.

PRINT + OOH

Whisky Advocate Awards

Old Elk’s port finish cask whiskey landed on Whisky Advocate’s list of the top 20 most exciting whiskeys of 2023. It was only 1 of 2 American whiskeys on the list NOT from Kentucky—so it’s a big deal.

Fun fact: “whiskey” with an “e” refers to grain spirits distilled in Ireland + the US. Whisky without an “e” is used in Scottish, Canadian, or Japanese grain spirits.

Creative Director + Designer: 🙋🏻‍♀️

Concept—Art Direction—Design