THE BRIEF

The launch of Islands8 Watermelon Gin marked a key moment for the brand, introducing a new flavour into its portfolio while maintaining the strength of its existing identity. The challenge was to ensure the new variant was not perceived as a standalone, seasonal product, but as a natural extension of the Islands8 brand.

Operating within a competitive spirits category, where purchase decisions are often driven by familiarity and perceived quality, the campaign needed to build immediate recognition while reinforcing Islands8’s positioning as a premium yet approachable Maltese gin. The objective was to create a launch that would resonate within real social contexts, strengthening the brand’s association with local summer moments while supporting both short-term visibility and long-term brand equity.

Steves&Co. was appointed to develop the campaign strategy, creative direction and execution, ensuring a cohesive approach across all touchpoints.

OUR APPROACH

The campaign was built around a clear creative direction: capturing the feeling of a Maltese summer and positioning Islands8 Watermelon Gin as a natural part of it. This became the foundation for presenting the new flavour as a seasonal expression of Islands8, ensuring continuity across the brand.

We developed a campaign rooted in authentic Maltese moments, focusing on recognisable environments, behaviours and language rather than generic summer cues. Both variants were featured to reinforce the product portfolio, with the Watermelon Gin leading as a vibrant addition to the range.

The creative direction balanced a premium visual language with a sense of ease and authenticity. Warm light, bold colour and subtle references to Maltese textures created a distinct and recognisable aesthetic, while maintaining a natural, unforced feel across all content. This extended across the full campaign rollout, from social-first video and a scalable content library to high-visibility placements, including airport DuFry banners designed to support retail conversion and capture the travel market.

Two complementary taglines were introduced to strengthen communication across audiences: A New Side to Summer for international and travel-facing touchpoints, and Bringing Sajf to Life to connect more directly with local audiences through language and cultural familiarity.

A fully integrated execution was delivered, combining campaign storytelling, photography, video, and influencer activations. Each element was designed to work cohesively, building recognition, reinforcing the brand narrative and ensuring consistency across channels.

THE IMPACT

The campaign successfully introduced Islands8 Watermelon Gin as a clear and cohesive extension of the brand, achieving strong visibility while maintaining consistency across all communications. The new variant was positioned in a way that felt aligned with the existing identity, strengthening the overall brand.

Beyond the launch, the campaign reinforced Islands8’s association with authentic Maltese summer experiences, establishing a more defined and recognisable presence across both physical and digital environments. The clarity of the concept and consistency of execution created a strong foundation for future activity, enabling the brand to build on a more structured and scalable approach to communication.

The result is a campaign that not only delivered on the immediate launch objectives, but also contributed to the long-term positioning of Islands8 as a premium Maltese gin rooted in real, social moments.

PROJECT SERVICES

Marketing Strategy, Brand Storytelling, Communications Strategy, Campaign Development, Messaging Frameworks, Content Strategy, Go-to-Market Planning, Multichannel Strategy, Copywriting, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Campaign Design, Graphic Design, Advertising Artworks, Motion & Video, Social Media Design, Social Media Strategy