MARKETING DIRECTOR
I first began working with Union Wine Company as an agency partner and was later hired full time to lead the company’s marketing function. In my 3 years with the brand, we created limited edition packaging programs, increased brand awareness around sustainability, created YouTube and Podcast content, completely re-branded one of the brands, updated ALL of the Underwood packaging and developed several collab projects with artists and makers both in and around the wine industry. Our small but mighty team did so much work in such a short amount of time. There’s no stronger canned wine brand in the market, period.
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
To celebrate Union Wine Company’s first ever large scale sustainability program, we tapped artist Brett Stenson to create a custom designed, limited edition package that spoke to the focus of this program’s mission to raise awareness around water conservation and UWC’s $50k donation to The Nature Conservancy. The cans popped off the shelf and sold like wildfire (pun intended). Video by Steven Mortinson.
NOUVEAU
I love this campaign. And I love this product. I won’t get into the technical details, but this wine is essentially made in 30(ish) days from harvesting the fruit to bottling and canning. It’s fresh, juicy, very easy to drink and hard to ignore. It’s intended to be enjoyed as a celebratory wine after harvest. It’s a window into how the wine may turn out from that year’s harvest. Originally conceived in France, it’s typically made from Gamay grapes, but we made our own version from Oregon Pinot Noir. It’s playful unexpectedness deserved a campaign that was equally unexpected. Something that stops you mid-scroll, puts a smile on your face and may entice you to engage further.
PRIDE CAMPAIGN
Consumer purchase data confirmed a hunch we had - that we had a very diverse national consumer base and we knew we needed to do something for these loyal customers. We built a dual purpose campaign, unlike any other in the marketplace, to breath new life into our Rosé SKU, and to support the LGBTQ community. The program supported The Venture Out Project, a non-profit that supported outdoor access and opportunities for those in the LGBTQ community. To bring the campaign to life, we reached out to our uber talented friend, Lisa Congdon, who created a package design that quickly became our favorite package to date. The program raised nearly $10k and succeeded in re-invigorating our Rosé wine sales.
WHITE HAUTE SANGRIA
This project was the second collaboration with Sarah Marshall, creator of some of the best hot sauces you’ve ever had. The first project was a mulled wine, perfect for sitting by the fire under a warm blanket in December. The brief for this one was simple, create a never been seen (or tasted) before recipe to a summer beverage best served over ice. The result is amazing - yuzu, watermelon, lime, Underwood Pinot Gris, and finally serrano peppers that deliver an unexpected hit of spice on the pallet. Obviously the packaging and campaign visuals deliver something never been seen before - unexpected, un-fussy and vibrant with a hit of spice 🌶
NORTH DRINKWARE X UNION WINE CO.
How do you celebrate owning one of the oldest, most storied vineyards in Oregon that isn’t open to the public? You bring the vineyard essence to life in a way your customers can experience on their own. We partnered with Oregon based North Drinkware to bring this project to life. The glasses are inspired by the short, squatty Spanish style wine tumblers and feature the topography of Amity Vineyards sandwiched between Mt. Hood and the Willamette River to the east and the Cascade range to the west. Each glass is hand made in Oregon, just like the wine.
VIDEO CONTENT
To deliver on building stronger, more emotionally driven long format content, we started a YouTube channel and created videos that delivered top-of-funnel stories that were then broken down into smaller snippets for channels like our blog, our newsletter and social media channels like Instagram and LinkedIn. You can check out the channel HERE, and a few of my favorites are below.
UWC x Timbers x Thorns
If you’re the most innovative wine brand on earth and you have a shiny new sponsorship deal with your favorite two soccer teams, how do you celebrate this relationship in the biggest way possible? We started with creating new can labels for the three varietals sold in-stadium. The backbone of the design was inspired by the team’s home and away uniforms. Words and phrases yelled by fans during games, and illustrations of iconic PNW elements created a pattern that rounded out the can design. To create impact during matches, we created motion graphic animations for the field-side LED screens that were designed to draw attention away from the field of play.
We weren’t done there though. We called in a few favors from friends, charged up the camera battery and shot this video. Stills by Chris Low, edit by Jesse Weeg.