SHARED EMOTIONAL TASTES

STRATEGY

Wineries pour their soul into making the very best juice for the dollar. So it's no surprise that even a nontraditional wine brand like Cupcake Vineyards would choose to lean on taste as a differentiator. However wine "taste" is a relative term, extremely influenced by the tasting experience itself. Especially for the Millennial wine drinkers Cupcake was targeting, who've come to expect good tasting wine and are less discerning on taste alone. Like so many brand choices, their wine selection is an emotional choice. Does this wine brand speak to me and my lifestyle? What does it say about me when I show up to the next party with a bottle? Emotional wine brands with distinct identities such as mysterious Apothic Wine, adventurous Underwood Wine, or even sensual Menage a Trois Wine are resonating amongst young wine drinkers . So in partnership with the creative agency Mekanism, we elevated the brand's core essence with a culturally rich CTA - Choose Joy. Then crafted one of the most joyful wine experiences at the most blissful Millennial hot spots, music festivals such as Coachella and Lollapalooza.

EXPERIENTIAL

We showed up at the festivals with a purpose of adding value to the culture of the event.To help elevate the throngs of bandanna music junkies' experience we introduced the Cupcake Vineyards Poptails Shop. At the shop fans were introduced to buzz worthy drink innovations such as the Poptail and Frozie that sparked tons of conversation, PR and content. Among being one of the best ways to beat the desert heat, the charming concoctions inspired repeatable cultural wine moments fans could bring back home. So what is a Poptail? Simply your favorite Cupcake wine paired with wild popsicle flavors we dreamed up with our friends at King of Pops. This year we introduced the Frozie by combining a fun and tasty wine slushy topped off with an edible printed personalized selfie.
The shop is designed with a fully functional built-in bar surrounded by a funky pop-art inspired, instagramable playground. This incredibly mobile experience can transform by the push of a button from a simple Cupcake food truck into a permanent looking Poptails Shop in about 30 minutes.
Massive increased sales volume, media impressions and brand perception growth have been huge wins for the program.

WHAT WAS MY ROLE?

• Led the exploration into the brand's core value and intrinsic truth leading to a more relevant, youthful and clear manifestation of joy for the brand.

• Developed the strategic approach for leveraging music festival sponsorships inclusive of evaluating both sales and brand marketing value ROI.

• Managed a cross-functional team of multiple retained client agencies representing digital, influencers, PR, and media to craft a unified and cohesive plan for leveraging the festival story.

• Shepherd the ideation and design of the consumer experience at the Poptails Shop.

• Art directed the visual language and brand communications.

• Collaborated with production counterparts to problem solve for unique challenges in delivering the remarkable design of the shop experience while balancing function, food safety, reliability, traffic flow and of course budget.