Sometimes the weird calls are the best.  SIPS was the bubbly brainchild of the business mavens at Craft Collective – New England’s premier distributorship for craft beer, wine, and cider – and the idea was simple: home delivery of local craft beverages. 

The only problem was that state regulators insisted that the delivery business be based out of a retail liquor store, or “packie” in Bay State parlance.  And the last thing the women founding SIPS wanted to do was run a traditional liquor store.  So if they had to have a store, they wanted to make sure no one would shop there.  Faced with this strange quandary, someone suggested they call us.

Our instinct was to take this liability and turn it into a competitive advantage.  After all, there’s more than one way to design a “store.”  They hired us to develop five concepts – with sketches, mood boards, and marketing strategies – that would turn their roadside liquor store into a destination that would draw people once – or at most, once a year – to an experience they’d rave about to friends back home.

We generated almost 60 concepts.  In the process, we realized there was a critical project requirement that no one had thought of: customers would mostly experience SIPS online, and in the digital realm the only way to grow your brand’s footprint is through content.  Thus this physical facility needed to be a content factory as well.

We delivered six concepts and pulled in one of the head writers from Late Night With Conan O’Brien / The Tonight Show / Conan to develop script ideas, storylines, and sharpen narratives.  Concepts included an interview-based lifestyle show that dove wicked deep into Massachusetts cultcha, a museum of remarkable women, and a cooking show that united passionate brewers and winemakers with innovative and inspiring chefs from throughout the region.

Which idea won out?  We can’t say publicly, but…stay tuned.

Bottoms up, buttercup! →