Reinvigorating a Legacy Spirit
Combating a reputation as a vintage baking ingredient, Grand Marnier strove to reintroduce its storied brand to a new generation. As they repackaged for luxury cocktail-drinking sophistication, my team at ISL built style guides, produced shoots, and art-directed influencers to build a world. We showcased stylish people in classy places enjoying elevated lifestyles drinking Grand Marnier. On top of that we taught folks to entertain through snazzy cinematic cocktail tutorials.
The Brasserie
To celebrate Grand Marnier’s distinctly French heritage, my team devised a photo shoot around afternoon cocktails at a “Parisian” brasserie. The thing was effectively an excuse for us to utilize the beautiful daylight we knew drenched the interior of Le Diplomat—the French-est place in DC. We worked with DC-based photographer Jennifer Chase for her stunning natural-light images.
ISL AGENCY | Pratibha Kumar ACCOUNT + PROJECT MANAGEMENT | MIKE O’BRIEN CREATIVE DIRECTION | Monica Tan ART DIRECTION + Design | Jennifer Chase PHOTOGRAPHY | Mozell Films Cinematography + Production + Location Styling | Robin Groulx Film Editing | Eddie Kim Drink Styling | Patti Nelson Hair & Makeup | Apuje Kalu Wardrobe | Natalie BRoomfield BTS Photography
Cocktail Portraits
Bartenders—the stewards of mixology—were a crucial target for Grand Marnier to win over. We knew industry folks already appreciated Grand Marnier as an in-the-know shift drink, but we wanted to give them the tools to show drinkers what Grand Marnier could add to their cocktails.
We sourced a classy bar, styled it exquisitely, and lit it moodily. The setting felt like a laid-back speakeasy.
Combining this with dramatic cinematography, macro lens, expert mixology, and a useful instructional format, we showcased the range of what was possible with Grand Marnier in cocktails so you could make one yourself (or ask your favorite bartender to do it for you).
ISL AGENCY | Pratibha Kumar ACCOUNT + PROJECT MANAGEMENT | MIKE O’BRIEN CREATIVE DIRECTor | Maggie Gaudaen Associate CREATIVE DIRECTor | Monica Tan ART DIRECTION + Design | Mozell Films Cinematography + Production | Stephen Han Editor
Level Up
For springtime shenanigans we took to rooftops—showcasing beautiful people soaking in sunshine and sharing cocktails with friends. We worked with photographer Kate Warren to keep it classy and capture these elevated moments. A cherry on top—we shot some candid voyeuristic film alongside the photoshoot to bring motion into the mix.
