Oh Wonder, the sweet, yet largely forsaken bread of many of our childhoods, passed over for 16 grain, gluten-free slices of tasty, tasty healthiness. This was the challenge we faced when trying to reintroduce a brand that had grown, for lack of a better pun, stale. Having no health claims, no reformulation claims, and no real BIG news to announce, we focused on the one thing no other bread brand could ever take away…Wonder’s rich history with millions of Americans who grew up loving it.

Banquet is an all-American, wholesome brand that prides itself on making affordable comfort food people love to eat. And while many consider their offerings an occasional “guilty pleasure”, it’s a staple for a whole swatch of hard-working folks not living on the East and West coasts. So the challenge here was to tempt both targets with language that was as mouth-watering as the visuals, while staying true to each brand’s identity. Using the self-proclaimed “Spielberg of Tabletop” to film the MEGA spots didn’t hurt either…

Every hour felt like happy hour working on this one. Beyond having a full bar in our office stocked to the rafters with Diageo spirits, there’s no end to the fun to be had working on their brands. So when we were asked to come up with a wild and crazy way to announce Smirnoff’s 100% non-GMO, new corn-based formula, we dropped a mother-effing corn maze in the middle of Manhattan, and invited some of the most prolific influencers to drink and instagram their way through it. The result? Millions of new vodka-lovers joined Smirnoff’s “fun percent”, and our thrilled clients couldn’t wait to see what we’d come up with next.

Anyone can serve up a simple cocktail recipe program, but for Campari, we decided to get deep. Knowing that shoppers gravitate towards brands that reflect their identity and mood, we became determined to help them discover their margarita mood. Feeling spicy? Feeling sweet? Whatever flavor feels they were feeling, we had a Campari Margarita to match. As one of the most customizable cocktails out there, the Margarita proved to be the perfect canvas for making our shoppers feel seen.

When we heard we won Exxon Mobil, the news was met with blank stares all around. Yay we won, but how in the holy heck are we going to make motor oil exciting and sexy? Once we got over the initial shock, we threw our creative brains into high gear and saw every new project as another awesome opportunity to make people actually care about the oil they put into their cars.

Going up against the Smirnoffs of the world is never an easy task. But, when DEUTSCH FAMILY WINES & SPIRITS came calling for a whole new look & feel for their Polish potato vodka brand, we happily answered the call. With the “handcuffs” off, we went to work to make this little-known brand stand out in some relatively risqué ways, while also communicating its long-standing heritage and quality. The result? One very happy and impressed brand manager, and amazing engagement from all their test markets.

With zero brand awareness in the U.S., Flora plant butter needed to differentiate itself from other spreads in this busy category. By focusing on unique culinary occasions and their sustainability efforts, we set about making a grand visual splash in this traditionally “safe” space. With gorgeous tabletop photography, beautifully animated imagery, and pithy, socially aware language, we did just that to winning results.

While “vegan” and “edgy” make strange bedfellows, that didn’t stop Violife from wanting their brand to stand out from a sea of safe claims and fresh green backgrounds. To capture the attention of "Plant Curious" shoppers on the precipice of exploring dairy-free delights, we created major disruption with and irresistible combination of wildly unexpected language and mouthwatering visuals.

Here’s a brand near and dear to my Jewish, previously Kosher heart. Being the only franks I was allowed to eat as a child, I couldn’t wait to dig in and write about these delicious dogs. Our challenge was to combat all the many easy meal options parents had, while highlighting the fact that these dogs were made with premium cuts of American beef. With print ads, targeted digital media, and social we made “Kosher” accessible to all, and gave parents a reason to feel good about serving their kids hot dogs.

Yachty, yachty, who likes to pahty? Captain Morgan, of course! We took the Captain from randomly showing up to locations with a few scantily clad maties, banging their drums for a handful of early model humans trying to get in on early bird specials, to Gasparilla, Las Vegas, and some of the hottest venues around. Scroll below to see how we set the Captain on a course for success and renewed relevancy.

While most grooming brands were celebrating bro-style millennial madness, Dove set their sights on dedicated dads and professional, self-realized males. As it turned out, there was plenty of fun to be had with these guys as well. From making Mondays (and armpits) less irritable and giving guys the chance to score a cool home upgrade to literally turning dads into sport stars and superheroes, Dove Men + Care finally gave these good guys their due.

Whether it was positioning clean, fresh water as an art form, a luxury we in this country sometimes take for granted, or something that was hiding a twist of delicious fruit flavor, my team and i jumped in with both feet to quench the desires of all three brands.

Of all the Pepsico brands on which I’ve worked, and there have been many, Dew still wins for Most Fun. Chalk it up to the 18-year-old, insomniac gamer that somehow still lives inside me. Whether it was concepting out the ultimate summer duplex, delivering on-demand incentives via drone, or figuring out ways to introduce an unforgettable mixology program, we broke out the XBOX and the Doritos, and got down to business.

It’s every brand’s dream to own the aisle, so when the opportunity arose to pitch a summer shopper program for M&M, we created a delicious display of playful patriotic goodness. From a fun promotion with a volume-driving collect to win spin to fabulous ideas for decorating in ways that are wholly red, white and you, we set off fireworks in the hearts and imaginations of the good folks at Mars.

How do you pay homage to a brand created to honor a fine winemaker’s rough-and-tumble, beer-loving, car-racing dad? You invite people into his dad’s garage for a wine-tasting they wouldn’t soon forget. Filled with nostalgic bits of family history, a chalk wall where people could wax poetic about their favorite wines of the day, and a haiku station to add quirk to the affair, Josh’s Garage went from a four-location event to an ongoing tour across the country.

Perky Jerky came to us with the challenge of standing out in a vast and savory sea of jerky options, and breaking through in a world where Jack Links—and their furry friend—reigned supreme. So we keyed in on their unique texture, and poked the infamous Sasquatch, by daring millennials to embrace their tender sides, and challenge their jerky friends to do the same.

How do you put a playfully adult spin on a delicious beverage many millennial males never grew out of? With a cartoon rabbit as their mascot, it wasn’t going to be easy…until we came up with the Breakfast Barcade experience. With the insight that most of the single serve purchases were made at C-stores, we leveraged the concept of adult arcades and proposed turning Wawa’s into virtual playgrounds where the chocolate would flow freely and Nesquik enthusiasts could get their game on.

As a die-hard coffee stan, the prospect of rebranding a tea company wasn’t exactly grinding my beans. But the opportunity to brand from the ground up had my creative juices percolating—even after sampling 36 different teas with a professional taste master. Through this process, I gained a slightly better appreciation for tea, and had a brand new website and packaging to show for it.