Need a morning kick? How about a donkey riding a motorcycle. Kicking Horse Coffee gets to the “heart” of coffee’s purpose with its new brand platform Kickstart Your Heart. And the donkey? Well, that’s designed to stand out in a crowded market and capture attention.
The heartwarming hero commercial, directed by The Perlorian Brothers, captures the exhilaration that a good cup of coffee and serves as an urgent reminder not to let life pass you by. In other words, be that donkey.
The brand’s first-ever North American ad campaign and highly caffeinated call to arms was developed by agency, Lifelong Crush. It’s set to a legendary hard-rock anthem and brings the brand’s rebellious, authentic, and heart-of-gold spirit to the global stage.
“Kickstart Your Heart is a love letter to everything Kicking Horse Coffee is,” stated Lori Hatcher-Hillier, chief marketing officer at Kicking Horse Coffee, stated, “After years of perfecting our craft, we’re ready to share our story through our first major brand campaign. Our new platform ties together our values, our origins, and our commitment to quality, bringing them to life in a way that matters. Never half-assed.”
The video is airing on TV and online across Canada and the US, supported by cinema, paid social, digital, and an extensive out-of-home component with billboards, TSAs, and wild posters. The entire campaign is led by a brand strategy and platform visual identity developed by Lifelong Crush, with media planning and buying by Epitaph and public relations by Agnostic.
“Kicking Horse Coffee has been proudly disruptive since its inception, and we hope this campaign truly reflects our commitment to quality and authenticity,” stated Christina Yu, chief creative officer at Lifelong Crush. “Our goal is to remind people that coffee doesn’t have to be dull and boring, nor does its advertising.”
The campaign coincides with the launch of Kicking Horse Coffee’s fun-sized K-Cup range, providing its certified Fairtrade coffee and organic flavours in a more convenient format.
Credits:
Agency: Lifelong Crush
Client: Kicking Horse Coffee
Chief Marketing Officer: Lori Hatcher-Hillier
Senior Marketing Director, Innovation: Melanie Smith
Senior Marketing Manager, Innovation and Sustainability: Laura Brown
Marketing Manager, Brand: Rachael Cameron
Production Company: Merchant
Executive Producer: Farrah Khaled, Ian Webb, Haley Taylor
Directors: The Perlorian Brothers
Director of Photography: Natasha Braier
Line Producer: Andrew Sulliman
Editing: School Editing
Executive Producer: Yumi Suyama
Editor: Ben Canny
Assistant Editor: David Ngandu
CGI + Visual Effects: FABLEfx
VFX Producer: Kaj Steveman
VFX Supervisor: Ulf Lundgren
Executive Producers: Nils Lagergren, James Prosser
Production Manager: Izmil Idris
Compositing: Navaneeth Krishna, Wasim Ali
Lighting: Vittoria Marini, Anurag Deshmukh
CFX: Mario Reitbauer
Senior Creature Rigger: Dipti Patial
Character Animation Director: Daniel Fotheringham
Colour: Alter Ego
Colourist: Wade Odlum
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira, Jane Garrah
VFX & Online: Rodeo VFX
Executive Producer: Connie Dercho
VFX Supervisors: Laurent Taillefer, Igor Boros
Post Producer: Chloe Vankoughnett
Audio House: Eggplant Picture + Sound
Executive Producer: Nicola Treadgold
Producer & Music Supervisor: Adam Damelin
Chief Audio Engineer: Nathan Handy
Media Agency: Epitaph Media
PR: Agnostic
