2021 Winner
SilverBest in Augmented/Virtual Reality
SilverBest in Alcoholic Beverages
SilverBest in Mobile
SingleCut Beersmiths
"SingleCut Notes IPA"
Zulu Alpha Kilo
"SingleCut Notes IPA"
Zulu Alpha Kilo
Notes IPA is the latest brew to be released by SingleCut Beersmiths, an NYC craft brewery that’s inspired by rock ’n’ roll. Every craft beer the brewery produces pays homage to rock music. The agency’s brief from the client was to develop concepts for a new beer that celebrates the
brand’s rock ’n’ roll roots.
Most people think they’re great guitarists after a few beers. If Notes IPA could get people to pick up a guitar and genuinely improve their skills, it would become the purest fusion of craft beer and rock music. They turned the Notes beer can into a rich multimedia experience that would provide the tools and teaching to get you jamming in no time.
Notes IPA is the first beer crafted to teach you guitar. Going far beyond the original ask, they brought the beer to life as a fully integrated, 360° campaign, which spanned product naming, branding, package and product designs, posters, and digital extensions.
Every can of Notes IPA comes equipped with an injection-moulded guitar pick that fits right on the pull tab. This custom pick was designed to not only pop open the beer but also pop off for you to use to practice guitar. Four-packs of the beer come with four distinct labels, each displaying a foundational guitar chord: C, D, G and E minor. By gripping the can like you would a guitar, you can learn the finger positions for each chord and get a feel for the strings through the label’s tactile finish.
They used Snapchat to create a pull-push media approach. For an interactive demonstration, you can scan the Snapchat code on the label to unlock an augmented-reality (AR) guitar lesson. This mobile experience allows you to visualize finger positions for each chord right on the can, hear how the chords should sound, and create shareable music. Promoted Snapchat ads also drove users back to the Lens to drive awareness of the experience.
For influencer and B2B outreach, they created custom shipping tubes designed in the image of a guitar neck. This personalized outreach, which included a handwritten thank-you note from SingleCut’s founder, helped make the launch more special for key accounts.
With Notes IPA digital technology, industrial design and education came together in one beer can as a pure expression of SingleCut’s brand promise of bringing good beer and good music together. Using AR, the beer can became the media channel connecting users to an immersive digital experience and encouraging social sharing.
The success of this product launch relied on redesigning the typical user experience of enjoying a can of beer to also learning to play the guitar. From the pull-tab pick to the tactile finish of the label, every last detail makes Notes IPA as functional as it is beautiful. And the attention to craft paid off.
Notes IPA sold out twice as fast as the average SingleCut release. And in addition to being the brand’s most successful social initiative, the AR Lens outperformed Snapchat benchmarks. The engagement rate was 500% above platform benchmark, cost per swipe was $1 lower than benchmark ($0.48 versus $1.50), and average time spent was more than two times above benchmark (7.8 seconds versus 3 seconds). The project was featured on Dieline and major guitar blogs and has been picked up by all the global trade press. It was an Ad Age Editor’s Pick of the Day.
brand’s rock ’n’ roll roots.
Most people think they’re great guitarists after a few beers. If Notes IPA could get people to pick up a guitar and genuinely improve their skills, it would become the purest fusion of craft beer and rock music. They turned the Notes beer can into a rich multimedia experience that would provide the tools and teaching to get you jamming in no time.
Notes IPA is the first beer crafted to teach you guitar. Going far beyond the original ask, they brought the beer to life as a fully integrated, 360° campaign, which spanned product naming, branding, package and product designs, posters, and digital extensions.
Every can of Notes IPA comes equipped with an injection-moulded guitar pick that fits right on the pull tab. This custom pick was designed to not only pop open the beer but also pop off for you to use to practice guitar. Four-packs of the beer come with four distinct labels, each displaying a foundational guitar chord: C, D, G and E minor. By gripping the can like you would a guitar, you can learn the finger positions for each chord and get a feel for the strings through the label’s tactile finish.
They used Snapchat to create a pull-push media approach. For an interactive demonstration, you can scan the Snapchat code on the label to unlock an augmented-reality (AR) guitar lesson. This mobile experience allows you to visualize finger positions for each chord right on the can, hear how the chords should sound, and create shareable music. Promoted Snapchat ads also drove users back to the Lens to drive awareness of the experience.
For influencer and B2B outreach, they created custom shipping tubes designed in the image of a guitar neck. This personalized outreach, which included a handwritten thank-you note from SingleCut’s founder, helped make the launch more special for key accounts.
With Notes IPA digital technology, industrial design and education came together in one beer can as a pure expression of SingleCut’s brand promise of bringing good beer and good music together. Using AR, the beer can became the media channel connecting users to an immersive digital experience and encouraging social sharing.
The success of this product launch relied on redesigning the typical user experience of enjoying a can of beer to also learning to play the guitar. From the pull-tab pick to the tactile finish of the label, every last detail makes Notes IPA as functional as it is beautiful. And the attention to craft paid off.
Notes IPA sold out twice as fast as the average SingleCut release. And in addition to being the brand’s most successful social initiative, the AR Lens outperformed Snapchat benchmarks. The engagement rate was 500% above platform benchmark, cost per swipe was $1 lower than benchmark ($0.48 versus $1.50), and average time spent was more than two times above benchmark (7.8 seconds versus 3 seconds). The project was featured on Dieline and major guitar blogs and has been picked up by all the global trade press. It was an Ad Age Editor’s Pick of the Day.
Credits
Agency: Zulu Alpha KiloCreative Director: Zak Mroueh
Design Director: Stephanie Yung
ACD / Art Director: Kevin Sato
ACD / Writer: Vinay Parmar
Art Director: Philippe Visaya
Writer: Victoria Lee
Designers: Zoe Kim, Kevin Sato
Account Director: Erin McManus
Strategy Director: Spencer MacEachern
Digital Strategist: Shaunagh Farrelly
Client: SingleCut Beersmiths
Clients: Rich Buceta, Dan Bronson, Danielle Palermo
Producers: Houng Ngui, Kathryn Brown, Jackie Pal, Lauren Schell
Studio Director: James Graham
Director of Interactive Production: Ece Inan
Director of Integrated Production: Ola Stodulska
DOP/Photographer: Sean Donnelly
Senior Studio Artist: Jeannette Downes
Lead Production Artist: Ashleigh O’Brien
Lead Interactive Artist: Andrew Martin
Production Artist: Mila Lukezich
Intermediate Web Developer: Gillian Black
Post Production Assistant: Noah Mroueh
Social Media Editor: Cecilia Bernasch
Web Developer: Ariana Emond
Editor: Felipe Chaparro, David James Findlay
Product Design: Spark Innovations Inc.
Production Company: Zulubot, Table of Content