stoli
“I AM ORIGINAL” — A 360° Brand Elevation Pitch
Role: Associate Creative Director
Disciplines: Creative Direction, Team Leadership, 360° Integrated Strategy, Identity Design
To answer a high-stakes RFP for Stoli, I led the creative strategy and design execution for a multi-channel campaign aimed at reclaiming the brand’s status within the LGBT+ community. By centering the narrative on the theme of “Originality,” we created a platform that celebrated individuality and pride through a blend of user-generated content, immersive experiential activations, and a robust digital ecosystem.
The Challenge: Authenticity at Scale
The goal was to move beyond surface-level representation and establish Stoli as a brand that deeply understands and celebrates the LGBT+ community. We needed to pitch a campaign that felt personal, authentic, and modern, while ensuring the "Stoli" brand remained the premium anchor across diverse touchpoints—from street-level PR to high-end digital hubs.
Step 1: Establishing the Narrative & Vision
The Strategic Pillar: "I AM ORIGINAL"
Collaborating with the Executive Creative Director and Brand Manager, I established the campaign’s voice and visual DNA. We leaned into the concept of “Originality” as a direct parallel to the community’s spirit of self-expression.
Creative Direction
I defined the high-contrast, editorial photography style and the bold, "sticker-style" typography that would become the campaign’s visual signature.
User-Centric Content
We designed the campaign to thrive on user-generated content (UGC), proposing a system where real stories and testimonials served as the primary creative assets, ensuring the community felt seen and heard.
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Step 2: Team Leadership & Multi-Channel Execution
Managing the Creative Engine
As ACD, I acted as both a hands-on individual contributor and a team lead. I oversaw a team of two on-staff designers and two freelancers, ensuring that every piece of "spec creative" for the pitch remained consistent with our core narrative.
Integrated Branding
We developed a flexible logo system that could live across traditional media and modern digital interfaces.
Digital Hub & Mobile Activation
I directed the design of a central "Original" hub. The UX was optimized for social integration, allowing users to upload 15-second video stories and interact with pop-up event maps.
Physical & Experiential Touchpoints
To prove the 360° nature of the campaign, we mocked up high-impact out-of-home (OOH) advertising, point-of-sale (POS) displays, and branded merchandise that transitioned the campaign from digital screens to the real world.
Step 3: The Integrated Ecosystem
The Strategic Big Picture
The hallmark of a successful agency pitch is showing how disparate ideas form a singular, self-sustaining loop. I created a comprehensive "Ecosystem" graph to visualize the user journey for the Stoli client.
The Content Loop
We demonstrated how social media engagement drives traffic to the digital hub, which in turn promotes experiential pop-up events and PR partnerships (like The Advocate).
Actionable Strategy
This flowchart proved that our creative wasn't just "pretty"—it was a strategic business tool designed to drive ongoing impressions and brand awareness through a unified PR and digital funnel.
Outcome: Strategic Excellence
The pitch was highly praised by the Stoli leadership team for its visual depth and strategic clarity. The work successfully demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of a specific demographic, proving that a unified creative vision—backed by a scalable design system—can resonate across every possible consumer touchpoint.