advertising | marketing | layout
CHALLENGE Strengthen brand identity and increase customer engagement for a local speakeasy.
NARRATIVE Our goal was to make drinking an experience through strong branding, including ads based on trivia, for a Southern haunt. By taking the established 1920s literature theme and bumping it up to eleven, this project aimed to make an immersive and inclusive experience for Fitzgerald & Faulkner customers. Although the bar had a strong website and identity, this was a full scope campaign including branding, a menu redesign, infographics, social media strategy, promotional videos, and advertisements. This project was completed with Olivia James and Ben Johnson.
CREATIVE BRIEF After looking into F&F's website, social media, and branding, our group developed a creative brief that guided the campaign. The primary issue we found was that F&F's branding and theme limited accessibility and inclusivity. Fitzgerald and Faulkner uses it's namesakes, two male authors from the 1920s, as inspiration for branding, copy, and even special drinks. The niche it occupies caters to a specific demographic, but we felt we could expand the audience. We leaned into the unique aesthetic, with an added focus on contemporary female authors, authors of color, and authors that would appeal to a younger generation. This approach will create loyal customers who appreciate the experience, and increase word-of-mouth marketing.
AD CAMPAIGN One of my primary jobs was creating literary trivia inspired display ads. These ads pulled from existing F&F photo content to fit the brand, and used literary trivia as copy. Each ad is designed for digital and print use, and the digital versions have a call to action that brings someone to a landing page on the website that offers a coupon if they answer the trivia question correctly.
INFOGRAPHICS To accompany the menu that Olivia redesigned, I created custom seasonal cocktails and infographics. To further expand the customer base, I chose or invented cocktails that fit the literary theme but could be rolled out during heritage months to promote a more inclusive atmosphere. For African American Heritage Month, I chose Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston; for Women's History Month, Maya Angelou and Dorothy Parker; for Pride Month, Oscar Wilde; for Hispanic Heritage, Pablo Neruda; and for contemporary authors, Donna Tartt and Roxanne Gay. Each infographic has information about each author, as well as a breakdown of the ingredients in the cocktail. These could be left on the tables or incorporated in the menu when the cocktails are rolled out.
SOCIAL MEDIA As part of our comprehensive campaign, we developed a social media strategy to further expand into new demographics. We created content for social media use, including Instagram and TikTok, both of which are frequented by younger generations. As the bartender, I chose a few cocktails to feature, and we filmed recipe videos that could be posted on social media. This part of the campaign targeted a younger audience, and was inspired by popular types of videos on both apps.