NYC STRENGTH

Brand Invention: Intellectual Property development, BBH ZAG.

As Creative Director of ZAG (BBH's brand invention and innovation subsidiary), I created the NYC STRENGTH brand concept to help fund DSNY special programs and to foster goodwill between the City of New York's service departments and city residents.

NYC STRENGTH was the repackaging of genuine NYC products and equipment, marketed to the city's consumers. Any purchase would donate a portion of proceeds to that service's budget, as well as go to provide additional funds for outreach and benefit programs. 

NYC Strength Garbage Bags - As strong as the ones used to hold the trash and who-knows-what else dumped into every public bin in New York City. 

NYC Strength Floor Cleaner - The same floor cleaner used to clean the grime and who-knows-what from Grand Central Station's floor every day. Repackaged for your loft.

NYC Strength Rock Salt - As strong as the salt used to keep New York City running after a major snowstorm.

NYC Strength Brooms - Inspired by the ox-bristle beasts used to clean up the city the day after New Years Eve, St. Patrick's day, and any other day.
 

NYC Strength Grass Seeds - If this grass is strong enough to grow through the cracks of
gum-covered, toxin-layered concrete sidewalks in NYC, it can probably grow anywhere. 

VIRGIN MOBILE x AXE SIX PHONE

Brand Invention:
Intellectual Property development - A mobile phone way ahead of its time
(then, suddenly, way behind).

As Creative Director of the ZAG team at BBH, I helped bring megabrands Axe and Virgin Mobile together in a partnership to create the SIX - a tool to help young guys and girls have more luck in "the mating game."

After initial research, we identified insights and behaviors that would help mobile phone users interact with each other in a way that merely facilitated what they already did naturally. Our team created a unique mobile brand platform that would merge each brand's overlapping tones and personality into one shared voice.

We navigated around the many pitfalls that could be associated with a phone designed for 'hooking up' by overtly targeting both sexes and sketched safety and anonymity protocols that would need to inform each application.

We brought the strategic, concept and market research to presentation stage, where we were granted a nod for further development.

At this stage, we reassessed the team, assigning a small core group to continue to steward the concept through while beginning the reorganization needed to bring in the relevant skillsets and expertise needed to develop the project.

Our team was to begin working closely with product engineers to prototype various applications while simultaneously diving deeper into the insights and intended user behaviors take into stage 1 prototyping. 

We were in the process of whiteboarding proprietary technologies that could live on the next generation of mobile phones.

Little did we know, the entire mobile phone landscape was about to be hit with a depth charge.
While in development, a device called the iPhone was introduced. It launched the smartphone market, disrupting the entire communications landscape.

Unfortunately, Virgin Mobile devices were in direct competition, so the app concepts were never able to evolve into branded smartphone utilities and the SIX project was shelved. 

Several of the key features we were developing for SIX have since come on the market as stand-alone platforms and applications for Smartphones. So, even if it was a missed opportunity due to uncontrollable events, it was a very valuable learning experience to take the development to that stage, and know we were on the right track...just a bit too soon.

The project also led to further partnerships and new assignments for the agency with both brands.

OWL SAKE

Brand Invention: Intellectual Property development, BBH ZAG

OWL Sake was a BBH ZAG brand initiative to create a high-end premium sake.

The ZAG team saw a niche that could be carved out for the world's first first well-known premium Sake brand that could eventually grow into a new market. At the time, there were no mainstream Sake brands, which were stuck in traditional setting of sushi restaurants. There were no Sake cocktails.

ZAG approached veteran Sake brewers Gekkeikan as a partner.

Bottle design explorations:

Opaque or solid bottles help preserve the taste of premium sakes, so the team also explored the designs in reverse.

After Gekkeikan retained the team for further strategic and creative development, their distribution partner decided to focus on other strategic goals and so ended their support of the ZAG/ Gekkeikan initiative.

BURGER KING CROISSAN'CLOCK

A bacon-scented alarm clock to promote Burger King's new and improved breakfast menu

What do you offer college kids to get them excited about Burger King's new breakfast?
A real alarm clock that wakes them up with the actual smell of sizzling meat.

The Croissan'clock was designed with an internal scent card that heated at a set time - waking you up with the delicate aroma of buttery bread and savory bacon.