The Quotient

We devised an integrated campaign steeped in humor and leveraging the widespread backlash against the hipster subculture in America. This centered on the creation of a fictitious, “Hipster Tax Crisis.”

The campaign was fully integrated, encompassing paid, earned, and owned media with a simple premise:

It’s a dirty little secret that no one wants to talk about: The American Hipster is in a deep crisis – a Hipster Tax Crisis. They are struggling to properly file taxes in non-ironic fashion and blankets don’t qualify as deductible clothing expenses, scarves cannot be counted as dependents, kale grown on a fire escape doesn’t allow for farm tax credits.

The campaign enlisted Kenny Mayne – the sardonic ESPN SportsCenter anchor along with comedic actors from the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe – to be the faces of the campaign. In addition, we aligned the campaign with Covenant House, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless youth.

At the center of the campaign, we created a humorous microsite, using videos of Kenny Mayne and the UBC players to deepen brand engagement. The microsite utilized numerous touch points to drive engagement including Hipster Tax Facts and a HipsterizeMe photo application.

The campaign culminated in the Irony Games in Seattle – a celebration of the American hipster where the greatest hipster in history was announced.