Tia Maria

Tia Maria had seen sales in Australia decline as the brand lost relevance with consumers. The perception amongst key demographics (18 - 35 year olds) was that the brand was old fashioned and out of touch. This lead to a major revamp of the brand and a new bottle. To celebrate their new bottle launch, Tia Maria tasked Storm Creative with branding a number of Sunset Lounge events in Sydney. These events were used to invite influencers to discover the Tia Maria brand and learn that, as the only liqueur made using rum and real coffee beans (not coffee flavouring) it is the key ingredient for an Espresso Martini. The "Tia Maria Sunset Lounge" events included a pop-up bar at Sculptures by the Sea and The Tia Maria Room - an exclusive evening of music (including a collaboration between Owl Eyes and Alison Wonderland), canapés and cocktails. As Art Director on these projects at Storm I worked with subtle red lighting effects at each venue using custom-made LED lightboxes, seating cubes and decorative mini-cubes to set the mood. These events were the springboard for a significant increase in sales and brand recognition for Tia Maria and were a contributing factor in the meteoric rise in popularity for the Espresso Martini cocktail.