Ascent
The Challenge
Ascent Protein entered its peak sales season in January, a month when the fitness and sports nutrition industry is flooded with predictable campaigns and repetitive performance claims. The brand needed to rise above the noise, not by shouting louder, but by creating a distinct and authentic identity that reflected its position as The Official Sponsor of Hard Work. The challenge was to craft a campaign that could connect with serious athletes on an emotional level, celebrating the shared mindset of grit, perseverance, and relentless effort, while also supporting product launches and driving DTC sales.
Ascent Protein entered its peak sales season in January, a month when the fitness and sports nutrition industry is flooded with predictable campaigns and repetitive performance claims. The brand needed to rise above the noise, not by shouting louder, but by creating a distinct and authentic identity that reflected its position as The Official Sponsor of Hard Work. The challenge was to craft a campaign that could connect with serious athletes on an emotional level, celebrating the shared mindset of grit, perseverance, and relentless effort, while also supporting product launches and driving DTC sales.
Project
Creative Campaign
Role
Creative Direction
The Approach
As Creative Director, I oversaw the concept from its earliest articulation to its final execution, shaping every detail of the campaign’s look, feel, and voice. I wrote and refined the brand messaging, ensuring the copy carried the same intensity as the visuals. I directed and produced both photo and video shoots, from scriptwriting and storyboarding to art direction and post-production, making sure every frame carried the campaign’s DNA. Casting, location selection, lighting, wardrobe, and composition were all chosen to reinforce the brand’s values and aesthetic. The creative direction extended into large-scale brand moments, including a high-impact Times Square billboard takeover that turned the campaign into a physical, cultural statement. The result was a cohesive and resonant creative platform that not only drove significant lifts in awareness, revenue, and repeat purchases, but also gave Ascent a visual language and storytelling framework that is now unmistakably its own.
The Approach
As Creative Director, I oversaw the concept from its earliest articulation to its final execution, shaping every detail of the campaign’s look, feel, and voice. I wrote and refined the brand messaging, ensuring the copy carried the same intensity as the visuals. I directed and produced both photo and video shoots, from scriptwriting and storyboarding to art direction and post-production, making sure every frame carried the campaign’s DNA. Casting, location selection, lighting, wardrobe, and composition were all chosen to reinforce the brand’s values and aesthetic. The creative direction extended into large-scale brand moments, including a high-impact Times Square billboard takeover that turned the campaign into a physical, cultural statement. The result was a cohesive and resonant creative platform that not only drove significant lifts in awareness, revenue, and repeat purchases, but also gave Ascent a visual language and storytelling framework that is now unmistakably its own.
The Strategy
The creative foundation was built on a simple truth: true athletes are united by their work ethic. That idea became the heartbeat of the platform, “For Those Driven By Hard Work.” This wasn’t just a line—it was a manifesto for the brand. The visual and tonal identity was deliberately bold, gritty, and uncompromising, built around raw athleticism and emotional realism. Every asset, from hero imagery to video storytelling, was designed to feel lived-in and authentic. Casting prioritized real athletes over models, shooting in real gyms and on streets at dawn to capture unpolished moments of dedication. The creative system was designed to work across the full funnel, with upper-funnel brand films inspiring the ethos, mid-funnel imagery blending product with story, and lower-funnel executions translating that same energy into high-conversion formats.
The creative foundation was built on a simple truth: true athletes are united by their work ethic. That idea became the heartbeat of the platform, “For Those Driven By Hard Work.” This wasn’t just a line—it was a manifesto for the brand. The visual and tonal identity was deliberately bold, gritty, and uncompromising, built around raw athleticism and emotional realism. Every asset, from hero imagery to video storytelling, was designed to feel lived-in and authentic. Casting prioritized real athletes over models, shooting in real gyms and on streets at dawn to capture unpolished moments of dedication. The creative system was designed to work across the full funnel, with upper-funnel brand films inspiring the ethos, mid-funnel imagery blending product with story, and lower-funnel executions translating that same energy into high-conversion formats.
