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As a challenger brand, you have to make the most of every opportunity. And in the world of bourbon, all roads lead through Louisville. If great corn is essential to making great bourbon, why wouldn’t Iowa-based Cedar Ridge have a legitimate claim to the throne? Bolstered by success in two high-profile distilling competitions, it was time for Cedar Ridge to take its flagship Iowa Straight Bourbon Whiskey to the masses.
As a challenger brand, you must take calculated risks to get attention needed to make your move. FUEL helped Cedar Ridge hone a strategy that leveraged its strengths and put the homeland of bourbon on notice that good things were happening in the unlikeliest of places – Iowa.
The brand leveraged social ads to raise awareness, while also thanking devotees when the bourbon earned the top spot in sales in 2020. It marked the first time a craft bourbon had ever become the top selling bourbon in its home state.
Advertising Design | Excellence Award
2019 Art Directors Association of Iowa Awards
Video Spot | Excellence Award
2020 Art Directors Association of Iowa Awards
Bill Bollman is FUEL’s Creative Director. Before co-founding FUEL in 2001, he worked for Horizon Communications, JW Morton and Basler Design Group. Bill studied Illustration at Hawkeye Tech in Waterloo, Iowa. An expert in the “old ways” of hands-on print production, these skills influence his work in the digital world to this day. His work throughout his career has been featured in international publications including Graphis, How International Design, Communication Arts, and The One Book as well as numerous design annuals and reference books.
