Creative Director/Brand Storyteller
OH Partners called needing help with their pitch for Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. How could I say no? I worked with their team to develop two conceptual directions for Virgin’s new Las Vegas venture. OH won the business, and I got called back to help with the teaser campaign. For the latter, I suggested a website: whileyouwaitlv.com, to create anticipation for the grand opening. It’s now live and generating buzz.
The shops at City Center in Las Vegas are some of the most exclusive flagships in the world. Think Prada, Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton and the like. The uber nature of these boutiques can be a little intimidating. So I created a campaign that lent some whimsy to the art of luxury consumerism.
In a city with four spas per block, differentiating oneself from the competition isn’t easy. Fortunately, Vdara has a key advantage: it’s intimate size. The photography and copy capture this intimacy, delivering a sense of authentic serenity that’s absent from most spa advertising.
We were tasked with launching the revival of Santa Barbara’s famous El Encanto hotel. With it’s private villas and proximity to LA, we chose to position the resort as a hideaway for the city’s rich and powerful. This presentation won SK+G the Orient Express North American business.
CONNOISSEURS OF ANONYMITY
You know who you are.
You’re the kind that loves to steal away. Start the weekend
on Thursdays. In the morning. You have no problem
saying: Hold my calls. Or popping up the coast to feel
the sun from a new angle.
You don’t bother with luggage. Or plans.
You respect that leisuring under deep cover is a distinct
art form. And you, in your linen shirts and dark sunglasses,
are one of its most ardent practitioners.
Welcome.
We are here to assist you in all your anonymous pursuits.
WE’VE GOT YOUR NUMBER
It’s Villa 320. That’s the Presidential Suite. Where you’ll steal away. Remove the cell from your ear and bring a cocktail to your lips. Hear the trees rustling. See the ocean spread out below you. Ask your man to send over a cappuccino and handmade pastries. Sink your teeth into flaky crusts. And taste the sweet life.
THE HIGH LIFE. ON THE DOWN LOW.
Unlike the genie in the Aladdin’s lamp, your personal concierge grants unlimited wishes. A midnight candlelight dinner for two? Why not. A round of mango gelato for your cabana? Already on its way. A Swedish massage? How does noon sound? Whatever your leisuring heart desires, your concierge delivers with a quick snap of his fingers.
THE BUSINESS OF ANONYMITY.
The melding of great minds works best when you retreat together to a quiet lair with a cup of foamy delight in your hand and the horizon within your reach. For the former we have a masterful kitchen staff. For the latter we provide ocean view boardrooms overlooking islands you may wish to conquer. So gather your thinkers, disperse the dossiers, and strategize away.
LET THE SECLUSION BEGIN.
There is no time to lose. Only time to gain. Swing up to our bluff and ensconce yourself in a posh villa. Ask your concierge to bring around a cheese plate. And a cabernet. From Napa. Preferably ‘97. And a little chocolate something the chef whipped up. We would expect nothing less from a connoisseur of anonymity like you.
Here’s an outfit that’ll put you in a Lamborghini and tell you to floor it. Their challenge: consumers didn’t realize they could actually drive the cars. More than one in fact. For multiple laps around a custom track. We developed billboards that ran along the highway near the Las Vegas Speedway, as well print ads for car enthusiast magazines. As to be expected, a test drive was critical to the creative process.
This Russian lobby bar inside the Bellagio was getting eclipsed by the newer, hipper Red Square at Mandalay. The campaign below championed Pertrossian’s position as the old guard, reminding folks this is where you savor the real Russia.
There’s only one to launch an Irish bar at New York-New York Hotel & Casino: smugly. This headline driven print and outdoor campaign positioned Nine Fine Irishmen as the authentic Irish pub on the strip. I had the awesome pleasure of creating the brand voice. The only thing more fun was being there on opening night.
The original celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck needed a campaign that reminded Las Vegas visitors that his restaurants were still hip and desirable destinations. These ads have a little fun suggesting that everyone is doing the Wolf.
Launched over 50 years ago by a small group of luxury pool builders, UAG has grown into a multi-million dollar company comprised of commercial and residential builders, pool retailers and service professionals. I was tasked with evolving the corporate brand for the next 50 years of growth. I created a new lead generation website to attract new members, and a print campaign, as well as a number of collateral pieces. The video below was developed to introduce the new brand to the company shareholders at the annual conference.
