Still We Squeeze
Strategy & Copywriting | D&AD Shift 2025 × Diageo
Lemonade in winter sounds ridiculous. Unless you understand that lemonade was never about summer, it was about defiance. I developed the strategy, wrote the headlines, and helped build a campaign that honors the people who don't wait for perfect conditions to live fully. "Cowboys don't get cold feet." "Where the bold find their path." We pitched Diageo leadership in person and the "Still We Squeeze" line landed not just as a seasonal campaign but as a potential brand ethos. The insight got us in the room. The headlines kept us there. This is the project where I stopped being a strategist who writes and became a writer who thinks strategically.
Still We Squeeze
Role: Strategist & Copywriter
Team: Team Classic Agave
Program: D&AD Shift 2025 × Diageo
The Problem
Lone River Lemonade Splash is a summer drink. When the season ends, so does cultural relevance. Our task: get 21-34 year olds who want a light alcoholic drink to buy Lone River in winter, the one season people forget lemonade exists.
The Insight
In winter, we don't just miss sunlight. We miss the world feeling alive. 40% of Americans report worsening moods in winter. Energy loss casts a shadow over activities that once sparked joy and adventure.
But some of us don't have the luxury of hibernating. We show up. We thrive in the cold. We dare to squeeze life out of the dead of winter.
Lemonade isn't a summer drink. It's a defiance drink. And if that's true, winter is when we need it most.
The Campaign
"Still We Squeeze" is a tribute to Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise."
The line captures resilience and the refusal to let circumstance dictate your spirit. It's not just about lemonade in winter. It's about people of color, adventurers, and the bold who don't wait for perfect conditions to live fully.
The Lemon Drop: A massive modular lemon structure landing in winter cities (Denver, Seattle, Raleigh). Inside, guests journey through four flavor zones: Conversation Canyon, Honey Roast Ridge, Garnish Grove, and Snapshot Summit. They collect stamps on a trail map as they experience each space.
We centered Black cowboy imagery throughout the campaign, selecting visuals that reflected cultural truth: people of color have always been the ones who thrive in harsh conditions.
What I Wrote:
"Cowboys don't get cold feet" (OOH/Social)
"Where the bold find their path" (OOH)
Experience zone concepts and supporting copy
We pitched Diageo leadership in person. The "Still We Squeeze" line landed, not just as a seasonal pivot, but as a potential brand ethos.
This was the project where I stopped being a strategist who writes and became a writer who thinks strategically. The insight got us in the room. The headlines kept us there.