Lifelong Crush’s campaign for Kicking Horse Coffee began with a donkey riding a motorcycle. A difficult act to follow, yes? Well, the partners have. They’ve mapped out the caffeine-fueled personas of their 11 existing blends, and offer a personality quiz to pair you with the one that matches.
The campaign uses Kicking Horse Coffee’s famous black packaging and vibrant blend-defining icons, reimagining each icon as a “blend sign” to reflect the diverse personalities of the caffeine lovers who choose Kicking Horse every day. From the spiritually aligned, low-key wild aura of Three Sisters, to the audacious, unhinged-in-the-best-way energy of Kick Ass, each blend sign embodies a set of qualities that wild-hearted, high-achieving Kicking Horse Coffee drinkers possess.
“Our blends have always had strong personalities, and so do our consumers ,” stated Lori Hatcher-Hillier, CMO at Kicking Horse Coffee. “This campaign is about honouring what makes each person unique, and building a deeper, more personal bond with their coffee through storytelling. Our current drinkers are ride or die for their favourite blends. They feel so strongly about it they debate in our social media comments.”
“People wear their coffee like a badge, just like their star sign,” added Christina Yu, chief creative officer at Lifelong Crush. “This idea hit because it taps into something universal: we all want to be seen, understood, and part of something. And when your coffee gets you that well, you stick with it.”
Giving the idea its grab is an interactive blend sign quiz, where Canadians can discover their perfect match. Through OLVs, contextual OOH, and social content, the campaign brings each blend’s personality to life, playfully tapping into familiar archetypes and inviting consumers to see themselves (and everyone they know) in the line-up.
“Categorising ourselves is part of how we make sense of the world,” stated Geoff Gingerich, SVP Strategy at Lifelong Crush. “Whether it’s horoscopes, Hogwarts houses, or coffee blends. The point is connection. This campaign invites people to explore the full lineup of blends, but more importantly, to see themselves in it.”
In addition to the blend sign quiz, the campaign spans OOH, social, OLV, and even features a pop-up where people can get their blend sign tattooed on them for free.
Where the work began:
Credits:
Creative Agency: Lifelong Crush
Chief Creative Officer: Christina Yu
SVP Strategy Director: Geoff Gingerich
Art Director: Jake Lim, Mustaali Raj
Copywriter: Mike Appleby
SVP Business Leadership: Lindsay Day
Group Business Lead: Krista Blaylock
Account Executives: Kate Henson, Sara Terwindt
Agency Producer: Deena Archibald
Client: Kicking Horse Coffee
CMO: Lori Hatcher-Hillier
Marketing Manager: Rachael Cameron
Production Company: Lifelong Crush
Head of Production: Terri Vegso
Producer: Deena Archibald
Production Designers: Brad Kumar, John Rodrigues
Creative Direction, Design, Illustrations, 2D Animation, Character Animation: Gimmick Studio
Audio House: Grayson Music
Creative Directors: Mark Domitric & Ali Willa Milner
Senior Producer: Clare McGonigle
Audio Engineer: Eric Hulme
Sound Designer: Ben Swarbrick
Media Agency: Epitaph Media
