When Big Hair met the Jag Bomb.

The idea

I once married caffeinated schnapps with wake-up calls from big-haired models in a boxing ring.

Barton Brands is the spirits division of Constellation Brands, with a portfolio including Black Velvet and other premium brands. They hired me to create a new brand, from the label and packaging to OOH and TV.

The packaging was approved quickly, but the ad campaign, built around online wake-up videos from College Humor and a few shot professionally by me, ran into trouble over the content. I shifted to a bling-worthy, big-haired model enticing people to take a shot served “as coldly as your soul.” It was weird, but she worked as a pugilist feminist dispensing shots on-premise.

What happened

Shot use exploded in bars serving Jägermeister, and the campaign was later named the “Most Demented of 2020” by The Splendid Table on NPR.