Dentsu Creative (Aotearoa) 8 Managed Isolation

Credits
  • Pou Auaha / Creative Directors
    Hadleigh Sinclair, Brad Stratton, Rob Longuet
  • Ringatoi Matua / Design Director
    Marti Panes Julia
  • Ngā Kaimahi / Team Members
    Gaetano Perry, Steven Nute, Phil Newman
  • Kaitautoko / Contributor
    Broken Heart Spirits
Description:

Managed Isolation, a bottle of vodka designed to help you self-isolate responsibly.

In the time-honoured tradition of giving our friends a seasonal tipple, the Dentsu Creative ‘Distillery and Designery’ created another Christmas spirit to gift to our amazing clients and partners. And while 2021 gave us plenty to celebrate, we were still living through one of the most challenging times in human history, so we thought it best to arm each other with the tools to get through. Responsibly, of course.

The closure of New Zealand’s Quarantine facilities meant isolating from home was to become a reality for many of us. So we created Managed Isolation: 22 doses of the finest vodka, crafted in accordance with Ministry of Health moderate drinking recommendations to help clients, friends, and anyone who needs a drink while stuck at home to self-isolate responsibly.

A Managed Isolation Guide™, complete with ten days of specially selected activities and cocktail recipes, accompanied each bottle. The guide was designed to ensure maximum sanity and minimal boredom while helping people moderate and interrogate their drinking habits, which had reached an all-time high due to lockdowns and isolation periods. The instructions included making imaginary friends, creating spiritual connections with the dead, and communicating with the outside world via digital billboards.

A time-honoured way to give thanks to our clients and partners, the Dentsu Creative Christmas Spirit is a way to showcase our creative credentials and share a story relevant to the company's journey. Previous bottles have included an ode to our first premises on High Street (High St. Whisky, 2015), our favourite pub closing down (Queens Ferry Gin, 2016), a relocation (Spot X Spiced Rum, 2018), or our company's acquisition (Friendship Sake, 2017). So, it felt appropriate to reflect on the shared challenges we had faced in 2021 by recognising the impact of the pandemic on the industry and giving people something to smile about.

The bottle's only label exists on the neck, designed with big pharma in mind (in reference to the hotly-debated vaccine vial), with guidelines for managing dosage down the side to match the booklet's instruction. It also comes complete with two shot-sized medicine cups, one for you and one for a friend, upon completing the isolation directive.

Tasting notes of Managed Isolation range from crisp lemon to nothing at all, depending on one's current medical condition. Should the latter be the case, it's best to cease consumption immediately and consult a medical professional. Failure or refusal to comply with the direction could be an offense under s 72 of the Health Act 1956. But it probably isn't.