DENNIS HUNTER
Making Tennessee Whisky a Summer Drink
When people think of summer drinks, whisky might not be the first spirit that comes to mind — it tends to be more closely linked to the colder months. In summer 2022 I helped make George Dickel Tennessee Whisky a seasonal drink, with social media that played on familiar summer moments, activities, and holidays. My work included concepts, creative direction, and writing, for a range of posts including static, video, drink recipes, and fresh concepts for Reels.
Instagram Reels: ASMR
One of my concepts for making George Dickel whisky more relevant in the summer season was to play on the sights and sounds associated with favorite summer moments. In this case, we filmed and produced an Instagram Reel that leverages the trend of ASMR (Autonomic Sensory Meridian Response).
In the first reel in this series, the flames of the grill, the clink of ice in the glass, the pop of the cork as the bottle is opened, the pouring of whisky into the glass, the satisfying touch of the glass on the table — all of these sounds are pulled out and amplified to create the ASMR effect of pleasure and relaxation.
In the second reel in the series, the camera slowly pans down over lush greenery in a rural setting to a gently flowing creek. The sounds of the water flowing and crickets chirping in the background are amplified for ASMR effect. The landscape itself evokes the feeling of Cascade Hollow where George Dickel Tennessee Whisky is made.
Try watching these reels once, then turn up your volume and just listen to them again without even watching. You might be tempted to leave them on repeat. That's the power of ASMR.
Father's Day Marketing
Another summer holiday that makes a great gifting occasion for whisky is Father's Day. I conceived a video for Instagram and Facebook about building your own gift box for dad and filling it with his favorite things — including George Dickel whisky, of course. We shot the video with the agency's in-house production team.