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From the 15th Annual Shorty Awards

High Desert Cactus Vodka

Entered in Medium-Length Video

Objectives

Inspired by the beauty and bounty of the southwest, Logan Sligar and Ryan Springer had a brainstorm: to make a spirit out of the prickly pear cactus. After a meeting with Goods & Services, a new kind of vodka brand — and a beautiful partnership — was born.  

Working with hand blown glass, we imbued the bottle with the qualities of a rich and deep local heritage. We designed a label to emulate the high desert mountain range of the area so that it felt authentic and born of the region.  And then combined it all to suggest elements of both the tequila and vodka notes of the spirit itself.

Strategy and Execution

Along the way the team landed on the ethos “It’s in the making,” to capture the essence of the craft and care that went into every aspect of producing High Desert. The ethos became a Northstar for all work moving forward.

To accompany the new High Desert brand identity and bottle, the Goods team embarked on the next challenge, the production of a brand film intended to appeal to investors, distributors, and eventually High Desert customers and fans.

“We wanted to make a film that conveyed the story of the brand and the beauty of where the product came from,” said Goods Creative Director, Christy Westfall, said. “We wanted it to capture the rugged beauty of Roberto’s farm and how the plant is grown and distilled from such a pure source."

The Goods creative team flew to the small town of San Luis Potosi for a one day shoot. Once again, the stars seemed to align for the team. “The whole shoot was kind of a miracle really. We shot it in one day in a town with no electricity so no chance for a night shoot. We had one chance to nail it. Amazingly it turned out to be perfect weather. Ideal light. Nature was on its best behavior. Even the horses lined themselves up just right for that one iconic shot.”

Results

Well, so far everything is going to plan. The High Desert team was able to inspire investors. The product is lined up to represent at all of the team's desired bars and restaurants in Austin. Next steps are a carefully curated brand launch complete with swag, artistic murals, and some secrets we can't share just yet. Welcome to Austin, High Desert. ¡Salud!

Media

Video for High Desert Cactus Vodka

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Goods & Services, High Desert

Entry Credits