We collaborated with the innovation team at Chivas Whiskey, Sony Playstation and Naughty Dog over a 6 month period to deliver bleeding edge creative to engage real fans and cut through the noise.
Our challenge was to create highly engaging social assets that truly represented the milestone of innovating and launching a completely unique whiskey project that had been years in the making: Moth and Wolf.
Honouring the authenticity of the Whiskey itself as well as the iconic video game Moth and Wolf was not just any existing whiskey blend simply rebranded and rebadged. The distillers at Chivas and Naughty Dog had worked for over a year to formulate a blend aimed at representing the subtle dark smoky notes, embodying the struggles of the Seattle chapter of the game combined with sweet vanilla notes representing the warm comforts of the Jackson chapter.
This was truly a collaboration to honour the whiskey and gaming enthusiast. As such, it was absolutely crucial for Naughty Dog and Chivas that we delivered creative content which paid fan service to the game and the whiskey and be fully accountable to attention to detail.
Engagement
Fan service to captivate both gamers and whiskey enthusiasts.
Authenticity: Create content with meticulous attention to detail that feels true to the game’s aesthetic and narrative.
Visibility: Generate buzz and drive conversations across social media platforms and industry media
Strategy
We created a series of meticulously crafted real-world sets, easter eggs and props that mirrored key scenes and experiences from “The Last of Us Part II.” These assets were designed with an incredible attention to detail, ensuring they were almost indistinguishable from the game’s environments. We wanted the games mega-fans and influencers to share and ultimately commend the efforts in the attention to detail and maximise sharability.
Over a five-month period, we worked closely with the Digital Spirits team at Chivas Whiskey, Sony PlayStation California, and the incredible team at Naughty Dog. This collaboration was crucial to ensure every detail was replicated to the exact specifications of the game.
We collaborated with professional set designer Stef Lucchesi allowed us to recreate environments from the game with stunning accuracy.
Everything from the model and shatter on Joel’s watch face to scuffs on Ellies iconic guitar were meticulously recreated from scratch. The team at Naughty Dog provided invaluable input in collaboration, ensuring that even the most minor details matched the in-game environment perfectly.
Details included everything from dilapidated buildings and overgrown vegetation to the smallest piece of debris. Even key dates from the game were circled on calendars and graffiti written on the walls that fans of the game would search for in the scene and recognise.
The whiskey bottle and the cocktails that could be created using it were integrated into the sets in striking ways that left fans amazed at the environment we had built around the product. Each placement was chosen to enhance the narrative and visual appeal inviting fans to zoom in and investigate.
High-quality photos and videos were produced to showcase the whiskey in these immersive settings. We used lighting and camera techniques that matched the game’s atmospheric style, further blurring the lines between reality and the digital world.
We collaborated with renowned poster artist Kevin Tong to create a launch poster in the approved Naughty Dog game aesthetic.
These posters were produced in extremely limited edition outside of AD distribution making them highly collectible. Posters were signed by The Last of Us creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin at live media and fan events in the USA.
We worked with talented Chivas Mixologists to create cocktails completely unique to the Moth and Wolf blend with titles authentic to the TLOU universe.
Since the Whiskey blend itself was completely unique, the only way to taste the official cocktails was with a bottle of Moth and Wolf which added to a sense of FOMO.
Inside the liquid: These assets focused on the craft of the blend highlighting flavour notes and their relationship with the TLOU universe.
Engagement
The campaign garnered significant engagement across all platforms, with influencers and super fans generating hype across socials. Fans were impressed by the authenticity and creativity, sparking conversations about what was real world and what was computer generated.
Visibility
The unique concept attracted valuable media attention, leading to features in gaming and lifestyle publications across the US gaming and spirits industries.
Product Fomo
Fans feeling a connection to the collectibility and immersion in the campaign snapped up the limited edition introducing both brands to new markets in a fresh and cohesive way.
We are building for tomorrow because tomorrow is the future and we want to make a contribution to the wonderful digital age that is awaiting us.
