SingleCut is a craft brewery named after an iconic guitar. It has just released its most innovative brew yet, Notes IPA. It’s guitar-obsessed for the guitar curious (and to make the beer brand stand apart). The idea comes from Toronto agency, Zulu Alpha Kilo.
Zak Mroueh, founder & chief creative officer of Zulu Alpha Kilo, commented, “Notes IPA is the purest distillation of what the SingleCut brand is all about – craft beer and rock ’n’ roll. Even if you’ve never touched a guitar before or you’re one of the all-time greats, this beer speaks to the guitar hero in all of us.”
Every detail of the beer’s packaging and user experience has been designed to get people to pick up guitar. Even the pull tabs on cans of Notes IPA have been fitted with a custom-made guitar pick that not only opens the beer, but also pops off for you to play guitar with.
A four-pack of Notes IPA comes with four distinct beer labels, each displaying a foundational guitar chord: C, D, G or E-minor. So, when you grip a can of Notes IPA, the can mimics a guitar in your hand and teaches you finger positions for one of the chords.
“Whether you’re crafting a great IPA or a piece of music, it all comes down to the notes,” stated Rich Buceta, founder and head brewer of SingleCut Beersmiths. “This beer innovation has been two years in the making and we love that Notes IPA can now inspire our fans to learn guitar or even become the next Jimi Hendrix.”
Zulu Alpha Kilo developed everything for the campaign including the concept behind the beer – from branding to design and digital extensions. Beyond the chords, each Notes IPA label also includes a Snapchat code that unlocks an augmented reality guitar lesson right on the can. By activating this experience, people can hear how basic chords should sound, see how a fretboard should be gripped and even create original guitar licks to share.
SingleCut is also sending custom-made cases of the beer to some of the world’s greatest guitar players, including Jack White of The White Stripes and Canada’s Robbie Robertson of The Band. These cases also include the pull tab picks, original guitar licks and a handwritten thank you from SingleCut founder, Rich Buceta, for inspiring Notes IPA.
Credits
Client: SingleCut Beersmiths
Client Team: Rich Buceta, Dan Bronson & Danielle Palermo
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Chief Creative Officer & Creative Director: Zak Mroueh
Head of Design: Stephanie Yung
Associate Creative Director & Art Director: Kevin Sato
Associate Creative Director & Writer: Vinay Parmar
Art Director: Philippe Visaya
Writer: Victoria Lee
Designers: Zoe Kim & Kevin Sato
Account Director: Erin McManus
Strategy Director: Spencer MacEachern
Digital Strategist: Shaunagh Farrelly
Producers: Houng Ngui, Kathryn Brown, Jackie Pal & Lauren Schell
Product Design: Spark Innovations Inc.
Production Companies: Zulubot & Table of Content
Director of Integrated Production: Ola Stodulska
Studio Director: James Graham
Director of Interactive Production: Ece Inan
DOP & Photographer: Sean Donnelly
Senior Studio Artist: Jeannette Downes
Lead Production Artist: Ashleigh O’Brien
Lead Interactive Artist: Andrew Martin
Production Artist: Mila Lukezich
Intermediate Web Developer: Gillian Black
Post Production Assistant: Noah Mroueh
Social Media Editor: Cecilia Bernasch
Web Developer: Ariana Emond
Editors: Felipe Chaparro & David James Findlay
