Backwoods at
ComplexCon.
How do you advertise when you can’t advertise? Backwoods, a well-known and culturally-relevant tobacco brand wanted to activate at ComplexCon 2019. As a convention known for its edgy streetwear style and over the top visuals and envrionments, ComplexCon was a unique challenge for a brand bound by United States law NOT to advertise.
No Ads.
Per United States tobacco advertising laws… you aren’t actually allowed to advertise for tobacco. Well, at least in areas where you haven’t confirmed everyone in the room is over the age of 21. Below, you can see the laws that made this project very unique.
LAWFUL LOGO CONCEPTS
So, I decided if we can’t advertise, let’s just… not advertise. Ultimately, we settled on a fully redacted version of the Backwoods logo as the hero graphic on our booth. Backwoods knew their fans to be fiercely loyal, and knew their logo to be iconic even in its most redacted form. As a bonus, the redacted logo was so outrageous that it piqued the interest of unaware guests to boot.
Malicious Compliance
Malicious Compliance
Malicious Compliance
Malicious Compliance
Environmental.
Once past the mysterious exterior, our booth opened up into a fully branded Backwoods space,
complete with merch point of sale, a variety of photo moments, interactive art displays, and celebrity talent appearances.
Activation.
