THE CUSTOMER
Pernod Ricard is home to some of the world's most iconic spirits brands. From Absolut Vodka and Jameson to Malibu and The Glenlivet, its portfolio reaches consumers through thousands of bars, restaurants, retailers and hospitality partners.
Behind those brands is a steady stream of creative work. Industry trend reports. Educational resources. Internal communications. Employee campaigns. Executive presentations. Every project has different audiences, stakeholders and deadlines—but they all need to reflect the same standard of quality.
Over the past five years, Superside has become the creative partner Pernod Ricard turns to when those projects demand more than extra design capacity.
We've moved from executional and transactional partners to really full-on creative partners with even bigger campaigns.
THE CHALLENGE
The partnership began during the pandemic, when Pernod Ricard suddenly needed to produce hundreds—if not thousands—of e-commerce assets in a short period of time. What started as additional creative capacity quickly evolved into something much larger. As the business grew, so did the complexity of the work.
Instead of simply executing creative requests, the team needed a partner capable of helping shape ideas, solve creative problems and deliver across multiple formats, all while working against tight deadlines.
For Katherine Chen's internal communications team, it meant finding creative ways to communicate major company milestones, leadership changes and employee engagement initiatives that previously didn't have an obvious creative solution.
Time is always the enemy. So sometimes with the time frames we give, my initial reaction is ‘Uh oh.’ But in terms of capabilities, I feel very confident because of our partnership with Superside.
For Laura Lerner, Director for Trade Advocacy, who leads education and mixology initiatives, the challenge looked slightly different. The trade advocacy team needed to evolve a simple quarterly trends report into something that would genuinely educate sales teams, distributors and hospitality professionals while keeping pace with a rapidly changing industry.
We had to figure out how we could best support the people in our organization—whether it's our brand teams or our sales teams. We really needed to hone in on who that key audience was, hone in on our point of view, and build out the content so it was as usable and impactful as possible, rather than just being something that was a great read in the morning.
That required far more than good design. It required editorial thinking, photography, content strategy and creative direction.
THE SOLUTION
Today, Superside functions less like an external agency and more like an extension of Pernod Ricard's internal creative team.
Superside has a lot of really unique specialists from all over the world taking their different perspectives and working together. You get a lot of really unique insights that you wouldn't get if you were working with, say, a freelancer with a single vision within one geographic location. I think the level of creativity, the level of sharpness and just overall communication is just managed so well, and I haven't experienced that level of hospitality and management with many other agencies.
The teams meet regularly to plan upcoming work, brainstorm ideas and tackle new challenges together. Some projects are planned months in advance. Others arrive with only days to spare.
Regardless of the brief, the working relationship stays the same.
"It's almost seamless integration," Laura says. "A very simple, easy partnership—almost as if they're our internal creative arm."
That trust has led Pernod Ricard to involve Superside much earlier in the creative process. Rather than simply handing over finished briefs, the team often brings ideas that are still taking shape.
As Katherine explains, "We'll come with an idea and say, 'We're not really sure how this should come to life.' They help us figure that out."
Pernod Ricard's partnership is a perfect example of what it means to “Superside It”. Whether it's a major employee campaign or an editorial publication, whether timelines are tight or creative challenges become increasingly complex, the team knows it has a trusted partner that can move quickly, think strategically and deliver high-quality creative without missing a beat.
Transforming a quarterly report into an editorial experience
Originally, BarTrendr Magazine was little more than a PDF trends report distributed internally to keep teams informed about cocktail trends, seasonal flavors and hospitality insights.
As Pernod Ricard's portfolio expanded and the business became more sophisticated, so did the publication's purpose.
The team wanted something that looked and felt like a premium editorial magazine that would inspire readers rather than simply inform them.
Superside helped reimagine every aspect of the experience.
Across multiple editions, the team has contributed editorial layouts, live photoshoots and photography direction, image sourcing, data visualizations, flipbook-ready digital versions and entirely new recurring sections such as Ask a Somm and Watch This Space. The result is a 58-page publication that combines industry intelligence with magazine-quality design.
"The feedback we're getting is that it looks like an actual magazine you'd see on a newsstand," Laura says. "The layouts are gorgeous. The photography has so much depth and everything is just really, really stunning."
The publication has become so popular that colleagues have begun requesting printed copies for teams across North America.
Its success also led to another collaboration: the Liquid Excellence Guide.
Built as a practical resource for sales teams, agencies and partners, the guide establishes standards for cocktail presentation while maintaining the same premium visual identity developed through BarTrendr.
I think the creative has just been next level. The ideas that have come out of this team and again the translation of what my vision is, the tone I'm looking to set and the voice that I want to give to this magazine, Superside has just able to understand that in such a clear and unique way and just really take that idea and put it on the page. I feel seen.
Superside supported the project through photography, custom illustrations, proofing, layout design, image curation and navigation, ensuring the guide was both beautiful and practical.
Personalizing 50 employee stories at scale
While BarTrendr showcased Superside's editorial expertise, the 50 Reasons to Love PRNA (Pernod Ricard North America) campaign demonstrated a different strength: combining AI with thoughtful creative execution.
To celebrate Pernod Ricard North America's 50th anniversary, the internal communications team wanted to feature fifty personal employee stories explaining why they loved working at the company.
They had a title. They had testimonials. What they didn't have was the creative concept.
"We knew we could get the stories," Katherine says. "But we didn't really know how to make it come to life."
Working together, the teams developed an illustrated campaign that transformed each employee's story into a personalized piece of artwork.
To deliver the campaign within an ambitious timeline, Superside trained a custom AI illustration workflow capable of producing personalized characters at scale. Each illustration reflected details unique to that employee, like hair color and clothing.
"The AI helped with the volume," Katherine says, "but it didn't sacrifice the creative flourishes that personalized each piece."
The campaign ultimately included:
- 50 personalized illustrations
- A large-format commemorative poster
- Individual social graphics
- A preview video shown during the company's end-of-year town hall
Although only 50 employees could be featured, nearly 200 people submitted stories—a level of engagement that surprised the team. The campaign continues to live beyond the anniversary, with the artwork now being incorporated into Pernod Ricard's new office spaces.
"It doesn't just represent one moment in time," Katherine says. "It's something we can use for a long time."
More than a partnership
Across five years of collaboration, the work itself has evolved dramatically. What hasn't changed is the partnership behind it.
For Katherine, the biggest value isn't simply speed or creative quality. It's trust.
"When I think of Superside, the first thing that comes to mind is our collaboration and partnership," she says. "It wouldn't work without the communication, flexibility and the way we work together."
Laura agrees. "It feels like they're true colleagues—not just partners."
If you are looking for a creative company who's not only creative but strategic, communicative, has ownership and if you're really looking to give yourself another creative arm, then Superside is the way to go.
That mindset has fundamentally changed how Pernod Ricard approaches creative work. Instead of wondering whether a project is too ambitious or whether timelines are too tight, the team knows they have a creative partner capable of helping them solve whatever comes next.
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