MOUNTAIN DEW

Industry: Beverage

CHALLENGE
Red Bull had blunted Mountain Dew’s cultural edge, and the brand’s long association with extreme sports felt inauthentic to the young audience it wanted to reach. The task: make Mountain Dew a culture-defining brand again, beyond action sports.

INSIGHT
Remix culture in music and customization among sneakerheads were beginning to go mainstream. Rather than hold up a mirror to the audience, as so many advertisers do and get wrong, the idea needed an unexpected messenger to show how Mountain Dew was literally fueling DIY culture. And it couldn’t look like a polished commercial.

SOLUTION
Introduce Sue Teller, a fictional 84-year-old DJ and sneakerhead, as the star of a DIY cable access segment called “Dew Your Own Adventure.” At a time when 30-second TV spots ruled and branded content was barely a thing, two instructional videos, three and four minutes long, were “leaked” on YouTube as if from the show’s video editor, not Mountain Dew.

RESULT
More than 7 million YouTube views, an organic viral sensation before influencers were a thing. Sue earned an AARP interview, invitations from Ellen, BET, and The Tonight Show, features on video clip programs and at video festivals, and a wave of remixes, response videos, and fan tributes on social media. She still resurfaces in nostalgia posts today, with many people convinced she’s real.

Deliverables: brand platform, character development, long-form videos, online seeding, earned media
Roles: concept, brand strategy, creative direction, copywriting, account management