Creative brief and storytelling

1. Creative Brief v 2.0
Marketing Objective
“Remint” Altoids as the undisputed mint category leader for breath freshening
Brand Challenge
“Re-establish” Altoids’ relevancy and adjacency to Popular Culture
Communications Challenge
Start a new dialog with youth-minded consumers (18 - 34 y o) that catches them ‘off guard’
Demographic Snapshot
Adults ages 18-34 who are dual users of mints and gum to combat bad breath and to enhance their overall well-being. They know of Altoids but aren’t frequent users - they
substitute and, at times, prefer gum to mints for its endurance, flavor experiences and informality. Mints are mints, you know, if it looks like a mint then it probably is a mint -
white, “minty” as in effervescent. But our taste buds are way more evolved and experienced - at a certain point there are diminishing mint “returns”. Our breath has a
behavior all its own and its not necessarily in cahoots with our intentions.
Consumer Snapshot
The Altoid user is smarter than the average bear. This one is a lateral thinker, premeditator who always has an escape plan. He never has to chose a side because he is actually
leading both - think Ferris Bueller. He thinks outside of the box, colors outside the lines to express himself not to defy authority. Tip-toeing to death is a boring way to live
life, so he pushes the pedal every once in a while to make life “pinch” him. However, his progressive behavior gets him into rather difficult and amusing situations, situations
where anything can happen at any moment. But he is ready, he knows what to do and more importantly what to say to cover his tracks. Curiosity killed the cat but not him…
Consumer Belief
Since Altoids was introduced the world has gotten a lot stronger. Altoids used to be ‘curious’ when we had no idea what the tin box, vellum, or the chalky discs where for,
then BANG! you first Altoids experience literally awakens and shocks your sensory system. And now you know what an Altoid is for, the rest of your life - its has its
EXTREME place, good or bad. But Altoids became a one-trick pony, the guy with the lamp shade on his head, different joke but same punch line. But gum isn’t clever or
smart enough to cover up anything, embellish or even help fake it. Chewing gum is like being all alone and talking to yourself. A mint is only as good as its last performance,
and every performance counts more than the next. While our minds traverse emotions, our body geography, our mouths experience everything in between.
Human Insight
It is human nature to get into things we don’t necessarily know how to get ourselves out of. What distinguishes one man from the next is his ability to navigate through the
maze of life and its temptations without ever getting caught. Doing it - whatever “it” may be is only half of the fun, getting away with “it” is the other half. As humans we have
learned to embellish the true, tells half-truths, use hyperbole, and use creative excuses to cover our mischief and personal foibles and idiosyncrasies. We need strong tools that
allow us to thrive in our stronger lifestyles, manage our emotions, and allow us to participate in new and undiscovered dimensions of our id - instinctual human gratification.
Brand Idea
ALTOIDS, THE STRONGEST ALIBI, EVER
Reason to Believe
An original, since 1837 Altoids has been curiously strong
Brand Tone & Personality
Witty, Tongue in cheek, Direct - no beating around the bushes, Strong

2. Creative Brief v 1.0
Marketing Objective
Increase preference, purchase intent and usage of Altoids
Brand Challenge
Behave as a leader
Communications Challenge
Figuratively put Altoids on the tip of Popular Culture’s tongue
Demographic Snapshot
Adults ages 18-45 ranging from suburban to urban, male to female, straight to gay, rich to poor, niche and mainstream, and white to black. Essentially the mainstream culture -
0.5% are innovators, 2% are trend setters, 10% are adopters, and the rest just follow. Since the nuclear family was abolished, cable tv invented, and Jesse Ventura became
governor, we have been exposed to the best and worst that human nature can experience. As a progressive culture anything goes, rules are temporary, and we learn how to
make the System work for us - getting over is profession and an art form - “Thank you for Smoking” took satire and taboo to a new level of introspection about our values.
Consumer Snapshot
Buying mints, gum, or candy is rarely a planned purchase. Our insatiable cravings and temptations intrigue our senses (and in some cases - a real need for breath freshness or taste
sensation) and flavor is a critical element of the hedonistic and carnal pursuit of mankind. Its not sinister just primal and innate. We buy what we see, gum and mints are no
different. Every time we go into a convenience store it is like going into a candy store - colors, textures, novel packaging all capture the imagination of our senses. But at the end
of the day we settle on a few proven and reliable brands that form our repertoire, and we use them for different reasons. The mint is expressly for removal and acceptance.
Consumer Belief
Fact of the matter is, we are on the go longer than ever, multitasking and sleeping less. This behavior is placing an enormous amount of stress on our bodies. Toothpaste has
innovated to keep up with what our mouths experience - late nights at work, 4 o’clock lunches, fewer brushings per week. We digest the new sights and sounds of new and
diverse/ethnic food and w/ it a host of new ingredients our mouths are learning to adapt to. When everything is literally swirling around in the world and in your mouth,
something strong has to cut through the clutter. Our mouths are never totally clean - mints cover up all the mischief our mouths have been engaged in. It’s social etiquette.
Human Insight
Our mouths go where our minds go, just like you are what you eat. But sometimes our actions and deeds need to be cleansed and rid of, for no one to see, so that we can
keep up good appearances. Even in a society that shares and celebrates misdeeds, we forget quickly - remember Marv Albert, who cares? The point is: humans get into all
kind of trouble, and all of us get into a jam now and again - the “dog ate my homework” excuse was our practice. Some of us even like to keep things interesting and roll the
dice to see what they get “into” next. In that case its pre-meditated, the act and the cover up. Life have gotten more complex, we need stronger pardons for our behaviors.
Brand Idea
LITTLE WHITE LIES
Reason to Believe
An original, since 1837 Altoids has been curiously strong
Brand Tone & Personality
Witty, Tongue in cheek, Direct - no beating around the bushes, Strong