ARLINGTON CLUB BEVERAGES

A charming history. A local favorite. Rich traditions. The Arlington Heights company "Sass and Brother" manufactured soda water in 1872 right in the Arlington Heights Historical Museum's basement. After more than 100 years (and over 100 flavors later), the business was sold and was declared bankrupt in 1991.

Fast forward to 2015... the new Historical Museum Director was digging through the archives and discovered the original 1872 bottle. We wanted to find a way to bring it back in to production to help promote Museum awareness, generate a buzz in the community and increase foot traffic back through it's doors.

My ROle
creative director
Art Director
Graphic Designer
Photographer

COPYWRITER
ANITA PACHECO

PRODUCTION
ABC PRINTING, CHICAGO
IN-HOUSE plotter

PACKAGING

We relaunched four original flavors: Sarsaparilla, Ginger Ale, Strawberry, Lemon Lime.
History of the soda/museum was included on packaging label.
Hangtags promoting social awareness/sharing.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Staff had brainstorming sessions and taste testings.
Tagline "Pop back into Style." ("POP" is a very midwest word)
Knowing this soda would create a sense of nostalgia, we focused primarily on social media and viral sharing.

BEHIND THE SCENES :: When the first samples arrived, we were able to do a few taste tests!

SOCIAL MEDIA PREP: We knew we wanted to engage the senses with sound and eyes. Videograper: Jordann Tomasek
Assistant: JP McNamara

SOCIAL MEDIA PREP: Released around St. Patrick's Day (5 months after the originals). We went back and captured the new lime flavor.
Videograper: Jordann Tomasek
Assistant: JP McNamara

PHOTOSHOOT (S)

Inspired by http://glassbackwards.net/
All of the recipes are from the original recipe book (pictured below).
Photoshoot location was on Museum grounds - the original site of the soda production.
We had planned each setup and included seasonal elements and all natural ingredients.
The initial launch was around the holidays.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

Knowing that visual content is treated more favorably in the Facebook algorithm, we planned a product photo shoot so videos and images were both visually appealing and attention grabbing.

Primarily promoted by social media (Facebook, twitter and Instagram).
24x36 kiosk posters were hung at each of the 10 facilities.
Ads were also placed in the seasonal program guide (reaches 36,000 households).
Videos were put together by our web content specialist - Anthony Meneghini
- My role was art direction (music, videography, et).