THE GREEN DOOR

INTEGRATED CONSUMER CAMPAIGN - LOCAL

Excelsior-based Jake O’Connor’s Public House (JOC) was undergoing a renovation of its downstairs bar. Once completed, the bar would offer patrons a unique pub experience and one of the largest whiskey selections the Midwest had ever seen.

Our challenge was to position and promote the new basement as a pub within a pub and build awareness of its new offerings while abating any potential consumer confusion and apathy about the change. The basement had to be distinct yet consistent with the Jake O’Connor’s brand position of “At JOC, the food is taken seriously, but that’s about it.”

First, we needed a name with just the right amount of debauchery.

Inspired by a popular song from the fifties that describes the allure of a mysterious, indulgent, members-only nightclub with a green door—we renamed JOC’s basement The Green Door.

We then brought the brand to life with an integrated identity campaign.

Online and offline pieces with inherent social currency borrowed from bygone speakeasies and secret societies aroused interest, intrigue and a feeling of must-see exclusivity. We installed a heavy, old wooden green door that lent an air of mystery to all passersby. And JOC employees were engaged to participate in the recruitment of “members.” We built buzz, and quickly the basement of JOC became an enigmatic destination with an air of modest depravity. After all, there are many doors that are painted green, but there is only one Green Door.

IDENTITY - LOGO