The world of super premium vodka was all extravagance, faux artisanal backstories, and a supposedly aspirational lifestyle. But none of it felt like where you’d actually want to be.

We saw an opportunity for Ketel One to stand out and defy category conventions by creating a world you’d actually want to sit back and have a cocktail in. A place that wasn’t trying to be cool, elitist or try-hard, but effortlessly enjoyable.

While everyone else was trying to show off the best version of reality to lure in consumers, we decided to show them a whole new world altogether. With hand drawn illustrations, we drew up our version of a truly better, more marvelous place, where you can sit back, enjoy a cocktail and “Drink Marvelously.” Instead of bottle service or awards laurels, we showed imaginative and magical ways to enjoy a cocktail, like a toast to the sun itself, or getting your photo taken with a giant Bloody Mary.

The art direction of the campaign was born out of Ketel One’s iconic black and white type. So instead of slick photography, we kept it simple, with black and white, hand-drawn illustrations. Instead of headlines yelling for your attention, we kept it to two words in their classic font. Because the most charming way to say “Drink Marvelously” is to say just that. With plenty of white space and charmingly pared back layouts, we created a style that stands out in its simplicity and lets the charm and wit of the illustrations shine in both smaller-scale posters, and giant billboards.

In just its first year, the Drink Marvelously campaign led Ketel One to outperform the category and increased share of category sales by 4%. It also resonated with the Bartending community by being able to flex and show the true Ketel One drinking experience.