The Impact
- More than 3× increase in creative output compared to pre-in-house years
- Millions of dollars saved annually by eliminating external agency fees
- Faster go-to-market timelines across all channels
- Award-winning work recognized by the industry
- A trusted internal partner during one of the most challenging periods in the company’s history
- A creative team that leadership actively celebrated and relied on
When I was a kid, I was always mesmerized by the sights of Times Square in movies and TV. Then, in college, I dreamed of someday having my work somewhere up in those billboards. Now as an adult, I can proudly say "been there, done that." Thanks to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Rebel Fish Creative Group, I am now part of the "Five-Timers Club" — with the previous 4 being: Chivas Regal (x2), Absolut, and Pantene.
At Rebel Fish, we like to make a splash-a big splash. When it came to launching a massive brand awareness OOH campaign in the United States in 2024, that's exactly what we did. When it was all said (cleverly, of course) and done, this market-specific campaign ran and engaged consumers in 18 U.S. markets. The
result?
Results
NCL.com website visits increased an extra 125,000 per quarter in 2022. And there was an 11.3% increase in bookings in Q4 2022 vs an 8.1% increase in other North America markets. Simply said. our work works.
The Challenge
Budweiser was at a crossroads. Once America’s undisputed “game-time brew,” the brand was fighting for relevance in a crowded beer aisle, especially among sports fans and rising Latino communities in Florida. We had MLB partnerships with the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins that were underleveraged — great assets, but the brand wasn’t owned in the cultural moments that mattered. The question wasn’t whether Bud could show up… it was whether Bud could matter.
The Spark
Somewhere between the sun, the stadiums, and the salty breeze of both coasts, we found it: the Cuban sandwich. A regional obsession with roots deep enough to spark Twitter wars, block party debates, and very serious Google searches about whether salami “belongs” in a Cubano.Miami says theirs is the best. Tampa says theirs is the original. Neither side had Budweiser in the ring yet. That smelled like opportunity.
The Strategy
Build a real, city-pride rivalry that feels like culture, not commerce — then let Budweiser own it. We positioned Bud at the center of the debate by turning an already-heated Miami vs. Tampa Cuban sandwich argument into The Budweiser Cuban Sandwich Series.
Rather than pushing generic beer ads, we:
- Activated both MLB fan bases through tasting events in market
- Created a bilingual cultural phenomenon around local pride
- Built an online voting hub + social engagement engine
- Leveraged mascots, influencers, and even the cities’ own mayors
- Took advantage of existing partnerships to give this thing teeth
Fans literally voted for their city’s sandwich, using their team pride as fuel — and Budweiser as the shared winner.
My Responsibilities
As lead creative, I didn’t just write the “fun lines.” I built the idea, strategy, and voice from the ground up. I:
- Crafted the campaign architecture rooted in real cultural insight
- Developed the strategic narrative that made a food fight feel like brand territory
- Wrote key messaging, social copy, and core campaign language
- Helped shape visuals and executions to ensure the voice was as bold as the concept
This wasn’t “beer meets sandwich.” This was Budweiser meets meaningful cultural relevance.
The Execution
We launched King of the Cubano as a fully integrated activation:
- In-stadium events where fans tasted and voted live
- Online voting + social hashtags that drove digital buzz
- Influencer and press engagement that amplified the rivalry
- Bilingual content and localized storytelling that made both markets feel seen
Fans engaged. Cities roasted each other. Social feeds lit up. It became less about the sandwich and more about being right — a marketer’s dream.
The Results
- Over 2 million impressions across social and digital
- 11,000+ votes cast in the Cuban sandwich competition
- Miami crowned inaugural King of the Cubano by a narrow margin
- Budweiser gained measurable affinity with a core demo that mattered: local sports fans + evolving Latino audiences in the Southeast
Miami and Tampa didn’t just argue — they activated. Budweiser wasn’t the challenger beer anymore. Bud was the context.
Why It Worked
We didn’t just invent a stunt. We leveraged an existing cultural debate and gave it structure, scale, and a reason to engage — with Budweiser at the center. This campaign wasn’t about selling beer. It was about creating real, grounded cultural relevance in a space that mattered to the people we were trying to reach.