Jack Daniel's had secured a North American sponsorship with the NBA and was looking for a way to make this new partnership known to Canadian basketball fans.
Jack Daniel’s is a brand built on legendary stories. From the man himself to the unchanged 150 year old process to the countless stars that have enjoyed the product, this is a brand that has tales to tell. The NBA is also a league of stories and of history. The way many of these stories are expressed in this league is through tattoo art. The players carry their personal and team history on to the court every game. But nobody was telling these stories.
From rock stars to bikers, tattoos have long been a part of Jack Daniel’s mythology. It was a clear and natural connection for two brands that, frankly, didn’t have all that many reasons to play together.
Working with acclaimed photographer Ashlea Wessel we captured the tattoos of NBA legends and street ballers alike. We then wove the stories behind the tattoos into the larger than life images themselves. They were stories of hardship, perseverance, commitment and brotherhood – perfect compliments to the stories already living in and around the Jack Daniel’s brand. We took over an amazing gallery space, invited a few hundred of the city’s most influential people and then, during the first round of the NBA Playoffs, we celebrated Whiskey and Ink - Stories Deeper than Skin.
Photography: Ashlea Wessel
Art Director: Ryan Dawson
Copywriter: Mitch Duesling
Art Director: Ryan Dawson
Copywriter: Mitch Duesling
Producer: Sam Tomsett
2019 Applied Arts - Sports Photography
2019 Shopper Innovation + Activation - Sponsorship (Bronze)
2019 Shopper Innovation + Activation - Sponsorship (Bronze)