Absolut Truth & Proof Bartender Initiative

Great Works, America; Winter/Spring 2008

With the goal of tying bartenders closer to an online brand experience, as well as learn more about their behaviors on the internet, the Absolut Truth & Proof initiative was born. An on-premise sampling engagement was coupled with an online follow-up activity so that bartenders could craft their own cocktail, have it added to the Absolut recipe database, and gain a personalized drink certificate boasting their achievements as a Truth & Proof bartender.

Bartender education and sampling sessions were conducted in the field, giving them a short quiz/survey afterward as “eligibility” to the T&P bartender initiative (generating an engaged mailing list). Participants received a follow-up email welcoming them into the Absolut community and urged them to create their unique bartender-branded drink using Absolut’s online drink creation tools.

I was in charge of bringing this digital activity online, creating all the necessary tools to facilitate the fulfillment process. After the planning and executive approval process was cleared, I facilitated the creation of back-end card entry mechanism, the bartender emailing tool, the front-end drink creation experience, certificate maker, and submission to the approval queue and printing partner. As an added bonus, I presented at a few bartender “training” sessions for Absolut’s in-market reps, getting to sit in on the training session myself. To this day, I still use the bloody mary recipe and bartender toolkit that I received.

project management, microsite publishing, drafted SOW & scope documents, on-site client meetings & presentations (east+west coast), managed development vendors in US & Sweden, contractor acquisition and management

Absolut / Live Earth Short Film Series

Great Works, America; Winter/Spring 2008

From the release:

Sponsored by ABSOLUT Vodka, the Live Earth Short Film Series – which debuted in July 2007 – will tour major film festivals in 2008 throughout the U.S. to generate a legacy of inspiration that will further underscore the need to act now.

To illustrate what an ABSOLUT World would look like, we harnessed some of the world’s most creative minds to create our Short Film Series to inform and inspire people across the globe to help solve the climate crisis. Partnered with Live Earth, we’ve created an experience where you can view these films in the digital ways which you’re most accustomed. Launching one film per week, all on the subject of climate change, and ranging from factual and dramatic to fictional and comedic, these films are directed by many of the industry’s most prominent filmmakers. 

As the digital lead for this project, I developed the overall concept, execution plan, created the technical requirements, as well as hired and managed the necessary contractors. Utilizing the WordPress platform as the editorial foundation for this weekly series, I tracked traffic stats through Feedburner, YouTube and Google Analytics. In a time before the value of YouTube had really caught on with corporate America, I urged Absolut to republish the 30 winning Live Earth short films on their own branded YouTube channel. Users could subscribe to the microsite, YouTube channel or even an iTunes podcast. I managed the designers, developers, copywriters and client approvals from Absolut and partner Live Earth.

I’m especially proud of this wacky job posting that landed me some wonderful talent for the WordPress development and maintenance.

project management, microsite publishing, drafted SOW & scope documents, on-site client meetings & presentations (east+west coast), managed development vendors in US & Sweden, contractor acquisition and management


AMC Pitch

Great Works, America; September 2007

Written for the pitch book:

We have created three campaigns that, although different, share a common goal of making AMC famous. All of them use iconic imagery to celebrate classic movies and drive home the point that AMC is the source for classic movies — that AMC is “the future of classic.” All of the following campaigns have a bold visual theme that will make the campaign seem bigger than it is. It will appear to blanket the city. Lastly, all the these campaigns are meant to be slightly “inside”— they reference classic movies visually in a way that you either get or you want to get.

The first campaign, entitled “outlines and shadows”, used subtle outlines that suggest classic movies. The second campaign was called “movie posters” and simply mixed classic movie posters with the AMC quotes branding. The final campaign pitch was entitled “artifacts”. Taking recognizable props from classic movies, we displayed them in ads as if they were in a museum on the street. 

On a short, two week timeline, I oversaw the pitch-creation process, ranging from developing and distilling the ideas, selecting and managing contractor talent, to printing and prepping the presentation. The on-air motion promos created by Joe Encarnacion at Hatchback Studios really brought the campaigns to life:

project management, art direction, contractor acquisition and management

Absolut 100 Campaign

Great Works, America; Fall 2007

Just admit it: everyone with agency experience has probably created a banner ad or twelve at some point in his career. I’m no exception. As part of a promotional campaign for Absolut 100, we created a digital marketing strategy coupled with an offline component to generate buzz for the new, higher-proof vodka.

Working with partner OMD for media placement and post-buy analysis, we managed mailers with Urban Daddy, Very Short List, Thrillist, Rare Daily, and Flavorpill to create campaigns that “went well beyond the standard banner ad, using emails to establish a one-on-one connection with the consumer.” Going past the typical newsletter, we created a tangible experience through interest in attending an exclusive Absolut 100 Halloween party in either NYC (TriBeCa’s Bogardus Mansion) or LA (Les Deux). In preparation leading up to the event, I managed the hiring of contractors to create the banner ads, as well as authored and published the RSVP microsite. Working with Absolut’s legal department for all necessary approvals, I packaged and delivered these ads for the mailers and sites.

Garnering 1800 RSVPs as well as a sizable press bump and word-of-mouth intrigue (and even celebrity attendance), 1400 fans joined us for a prohibition-themed costume party on either coast.

Pictures and press:

Examples of materials I created:

project management, microsite publishing, post-buy analysis, on-site client meetings, contractor acquisition and management