Art Direction

Betabrand is known for a slapstick approach to content creation and storytelling, so when it came to coming up with how to present a shirt literally covered with poop emojis, the brainstorming session consisted of all sorts of lowbrow concepts. One of them consisted of photoshopping studio photos of a model being flushed down a toilet.

Sick of the rampant potty humor, in the creative meeting I proposed a presentation that was almost a complete 180: let the product serve as the humorous element and do something not at all expected. Instead, I wanted to model the mood in the style of a tv novella or soap opera to create the narrative.

It took some convincing, but the concept paid off, as the internet took the queues provided and ran with as the major blogs picked up the story. (Julie at BuzzFeed, you get me) The launch proved successful, inspiring a number of follow-up products. Although some ‘photochop’ cheese was added to the gallery after the fact, it remains as some of the favorite work I did for Betabrand during my tenure.

Select Web Coverage:

Buzzfeed — This is the Classiest Poop Shirt You’ll Ever Wear

Gizmodo — This Poop Emoji Shirt is Crap

CNet — Poop Emoji button-up shirt makes your wardrobe stink

AdWeek — Betabrand’s Latest Stunt: The Poop Emoji Shirt

The Guardian — The Poo Shirt (or the rise of emoji fashion)

The Verge — Here’s that poop emoji button up shirt you always wanted

Thrillist — This Poop Emoji Button Up Shirt Smells Like Sucess

Daily News — Smiling poop emoji shirt, matching sneakers a hit with online shoppers

As a consumer direct, online Clothing Company, Betabrand generally doesn’t invest marketing dollars into print advertising. In my efforts to promote the Bike to Work Collection line of commuter focused apparel, I was always seeking to create opportunities for Brand Collaboration in order to expand market reach and brand awareness.

A conversation with some of the marketing team at Accel North America at the Sea Otter Classic Bike Festival led to an ongoing conversation.

As we were regularly photographing images for the collection, a partnership was proposed: working in collaboration with the art director with the Torker Bikes Brand, my team and I would produce lifestyle photography that incorporated Torker Bikes to create a library of assets for both brands, then co-promote the brands in different channels, extending brand reach for both brands.

Betabrand Poo Emoji Shirt

Select Web Coverage:

Collaborative Marketing: Betabrand x Torker