“We put ourselves in one box or another…
‘I’m a data girl’ or ‘I’m a creative girl’
But we can embrace both”

- Les Alfred

Win at gifting with Fanatics

META, CREATIVE SHOP

Gifting campaigns are a dime a dozen — and while it’s one thing to get your partner sneakers to replace a worn down pair or a jacket for dad from his go to brand, gifting a football fan gear from their favorite team? That hits different.

Fandom runs deep in every facet of culture.

It’s present in the viral dance trends that (in many ways) can be traced back to legendary touchdown dances over the years. It shows up in the family basements across the country that have been miraculously transformed into team shrines.

And for even the most casual fans, team swag has become a closet staple.

So when it came time to bring Fanatics’ Win at Gifting message to life, the answer wasn’t another product montage or unboxing video—it was creators who embody fandom culture:

  • Charlize Glass, a dancer who has graced Super Bowl stages with the likes of Missy Elliott and Kendrick Lamar whose fit transitions gave viewers looks from tailgate to girls night (full routine here).

  • Ronnie Banks, a family man who loves his mom and always puts his wife first…even if his gifts to them are actually for himself (full skit here).

By anchoring this campaign in real expressions of fandom, Fanatics was not just positioned as a go-to retailer for holiday shopping but a platform for fans to express themselves year-round.

  • While Fanatics had worked with influential talent ranging from gymnast Livvy Dunne to Meg Thee Stallion on TVC ads repurposed for social, they had yet to adopt partnership ads or integrate bread and butter creator talent into “business as usual” campaigns.

    This greatly impacted creative differentiation as their team has otherwise primarily focused on dynamic product ads.

  • Working with two different creators to bring the brand’s messaging to life under a modular production framework, Fanatics and Creative shop highlighted ~25 SKUs across women’s, men’s and specialty collections via 28 differentiated assets.

    • Social listening: Identified trends around sports fandom

    • Agency and creator onboarding: briefed Popular Pays, creators and their teams on sample concepts, social-first storytelling devices, etc.

    • Copy: collaborated with creators to write scripts and hook copy

    • Pre-production: worked with Meta Video Production to identify shot list, necessary props, run of show, etc.

    • Wardrobe: partnered with Fanatics design team and talent to identify relevant SKUs and outfit pairings

    • Onset direction

“A Woman’s Place” — A Vox Creative Production with KitchenAid (Originally Premiering on Hulu)

VOX MEDIA, VOX CREATIVE

KitchenAid’s origin story begins with a legend: when testing the first stand mixer in 1920, an executive’s wife reportedly declared,

“I don’t care what you call it, all I know is it’s the best KitchenAid I’ve ever had.”

Her name was never recorded but her impact lives on.

More than 100 years later, women continue to see their contributions undervalued at work and at home, facing persistent wage gaps, bias, and barriers to recognition. The food industry is no exception.

A Woman’s Place set out to elevate the voices of women making waves in the culinary industry today in honor of the “wife” who helped define KitchenAid for generations of makers to come.

This platform positioned KitchenAid, not just as a heritage brand celebrating its 100 year anniversary, but one committed to advocating for the community of women past, present and future that have made their mark in kitchens around the world.

Ultimately expanding into a mentorship program in partnership with the James Beard Foundation, A Woman’s Place earned recognition from Cannes, Tribeca X and various other industry awards.

  • Celebrate KitchenAid’s 100 year anniversary and honor the makers who've shaped the brand’s legacy.

  • A fully ownable, emotionally driven tentpole platform that reframed KitchenAid’s origin story through the lens of women’s impact.

    A Woman’s Place was not just a short film, but an ecosystem that allowed KitchenAid to acknowledge its history while connecting with a new generation of passionate makers who see the kitchen as a space for entrepreneurship, self-expression, and cultural power.

    • Contextual research: Identified the cultural through-line between KitchenAid’s origin story and contemporary culinary culture, grounding the idea in both brand history and modern relevance

    • Concept development: Developed and wrote copy for the overarching film concept and initial treatment, defining the narrative arc, tone and POV

    • Creative strategy: Built the platform architecture, including talent approach, 360 extensions and brand integrations

    • Production collaboration: Consulted on talent selection, creative direction and executional details to ensure authenticity across the film and extensions its

Over 9 Billion

MEDIA IMPRESSIONS

9% increase

IN BRAND CONSIDERATION 
(~4X CATEGORY AVERAGE)

Naked Beauty LIVE!
@ Sunglass Hut

ACAST, ACAST CREATIVE STUDIOS

At Sunglass Hut, helping folks #findeveryshadeofyou is the brand’s commitment to supporting self-expression. Naked Beauty brought that belief to life by lending its trusted platform to create a culturally immersive retail experience.

Developed in partnership with iHeart Podcast Award–winning host Brooke DeVard, guest co-host/celebrity makeup artist Sir John and United Talent Agency, Acast Creative Studios conceived as a “built-if-sold” platform designed to move Sunglass Hut from point of purchase to point of connection.

The foundation of this program was designed around multi-part YouTube/audio series featured guests like Ms. Tina, Tanner Adell and Law Roach, culminating in Naked Beauty’s first-ever LA live show hosted at Sunglass Hut’s flagship Beverly Hills location. Reimagined as a pop up venue and beauty destination complete with an intimate on-stage conversation on personal evolution, personalized styling and exclusive co-branded swag, the store became shoppable cultural destination.

True to the brand’s values, this campaign demonstrated Sunglass Hut’s commitment to helping people express themselves without limitations.

  • Help folks explore beyond the staple pair of sunglasses in their glove compartment and instead, turn to Sunglass Hut for shades as unique as their style.

  • A multimedia ecosystem that embedded Sunglass Hut’s ethos into premium programming via social extensions, branded segments and editorial integration across, YouTube, Instagram, audio and experiential.

    • Platform integration: Partnered with Naked Beauty, UTA and internal teams to shape the “built-if-sold” platform architecture and go-to-market strategy resulting in 6-figure partnerships with Sunglass Hut and Shiseido

    • Brand integration: Developed the creative sponsorship framework and brand touchpoints across YouTube, Instagram, experiential and audio

    • Concept development: Leveraged cultural insights to develop and write copy for serialized branded segments and social extensions

    • Creative stewardship: Ensured consistent alignment between Sunglass Hut’s key messaging and Naked Beauty’s editorial voice, providing scripts, talking points and feedback while managing client expectations

    • Experiential oversight: Managed internal creative, design and operations teams and multiple vendors from event planning and product production to post-event amplification

3x

AUDIENCE CONSUMPTION

6MM+

ORGANIC IMPRESSIONS
(SUNGLASS HUT AND SHISHEIDO)

Met July sales goal

4 DAYS EARLY DURING AN UNDERPERFORMING MONTH

Ancestry and New York Magazine: “All of Us”

VOX MEDIA, VOX CREATIVE

Creativity is often inherited long before it’s learned.

That truth lives across culture. Whitney Houston was inspired by her mother’s career as a singer. Doechii grew up surrounded by music through her father and uncle. Maya Angelou’s writing was shaped by oral traditions passed down through generations of women in her family.

All of Us was built on that universal insight: lineage plays a role in the work we make.

In partnership with New York Magazine, Ancestry invited modern artists across disciplines — dance, photography, music and illustration — to create original work inspired by their roots as a gift to the elders who have nurtured and supported their craft.

What began as a holiday campaign grew to become a multi-year series that positioned Ancestry, as more than a narrator of history but a catalyst for cultural exploration. The result was a deeply human, emotionally resonant series that connected Ancestry to culture through creativity, honoring the past while celebrating the artists shaping what comes next.

See full series here.

  • Increase brand awareness during an unprecedented holiday season during the pandemic; increase product familiarity and position Ancestry as a gift that connects us to loved ones, near and far.

  • A docu-style series and integrated media platform built to drive holiday consideration by pairing family history exploration with original creative output.

    Distributed through NYMag.com and amplified across Vox Media’s ecosystem, the All of Us positioned Ancestry as a culturally relevant gift rooted in emotional value rather than utility.

    • Concept development: Leveraged cultural insights to develop and write copy for the series concept and talent approach, defining the narrative arc, tone, brand integration and POV

    • Creative strategy: Built the multimedia platform architecture, partnering with production to ensure

    • Production onboarding: Partnered with production leads to ensure integrated elements were aligned and appropriately budgeted, briefing the broader creative team to maintain consistency in concept, tone and final talent selection from pitch through launch

11% VCR

3X VOX MEDIA'S BENCHMARK
“ANCESTRY HELPS BRING 
FAMILIES CLOSER TOGETHER"
"ANCESTRY IS A GREAT GIFT”

+6 point lift

260%

HIGHER TIME SPENT ON PAGE 
VS. BENCHMARK

Craft Cocktails Inspired by Living Legends (Maker’s Mark x Michele Norris)

ACAST, ACAST CREATIVE STUDIOS

At Maker’s Mark, every bottle begins with intention, shaped by time, care and the people who make it.

And that same ethos lives in the kitchen.

So there was no better home for Maker’s Mark to connect with folks who don’t just drink whiskey but incorporate it into their craft than Your Mama’s Kitchen, a show where Peabody-award winning journalist Michele Norris invites guests to answer a deceptively simple prompt:

“Tell me about your mama’s kitchen.”

That question opens the door to rich conversations in which folks like Lena Waithe, John Legend and Misty Copeland many more share stories of where recipes are passed down, mistakes are made and personal rituals shaped in their childhood kitchens. Each episode uses food and memory as a gateway to deeper conversations about identity, heritage, and the moments that shape us, authentically integrating Maker’s Mark’s belief that what we make and how we make it, matters.

In partnership with Michele, Maker’s Mark extended this storytelling through a series of custom craft cocktails in honor of the close friends that were some of her first guests.

With intentional flavor profiles thoughtfully crafted reflect the spirit and values of guests’ lived experiences, the result was a branded content experience that positioned Maker’s Mark as a premium bourbon that celebrates the kitchens where care, creativity and culture first come to life.

  • Drive brand awareness and consideration among whiskey drinkers for Maker’s Mark.

  • A 50% SOV takeover of Higher Ground’s Your Mama’s Kitchen, complete with branded cocktail recipes segments inspired by guests like Michelle Obama, Gayle King and DJ D Nice.

  • Concept development: Partnered with Higher Ground leadership, talent and producers to develop and write copy for the overarching recipe pairings concept

    Creative strategy: Designed branded content structure and integration across social and audio

    Managerial oversight: Guided executional copy and design leads through script development, visual direction, providing strategic feedback, navigating client input and vendor selection.

A Bourbon Fizz for Michelle Obama, as timeless and grounded as the kitchen that shaped her

A Bronx High Hat for D-Nice, bold, iconic and unmistakably original

A Bright Bourbon Punch for Gayle King, warm, generous, and full of light

+26% lift

IN FAVORABILITY

Double Digit

INCREASE IN BRAND ASSOCIATION WITH LUXURY, QUALITY AND CULTURE

+12% lift 

IN AWARENESS

who's next?

who's next?