Using the seduction of the unknown to build a brand persona beyond just the red aperitif from Italy. 

The Campari brand is famous globally as an icon of passionate Italian style and excellence. But the 150-year-old classic was still relatively unknown to the US audience - beyond 1920s art deco posters and seeing the bottle on the shelf at premium bars. The arresting bitter taste profile posed a major challenge too - with many people being turned off after only their first sip.

Campari came to YARD NYC looking for a brand platform that would leverage their global positioning to grow awareness and relevance with the US consumer - while mitigating the perception of a ‘bitter’ as a negative attribute.

After helping win the business, I led the early partnership through a series of strategic workshops - strategy sprints - that resulted in several test-able brand platforms and creative proof of concepts.

The driving insight that won the day with US focus groups was that Campari provided the provocation people craved to escape their routine and push personal boundaries to discover something more. As the world’s most enigmatic and passionate spirit - not for the faint of heart - Campari was well-positioned to deliver on this need, and invite the bold to take the second sip.

This foundation and brand platform sparked the integrated campaign and creative work of “Go A Sip Beyond” - a sentiment that perfectly captures the essence of Campari. Produced after my contracted time at YARD NYC.