Eligijus Masiulis, the former Transportation and Communications Minister of Lithuania was caught red-handed for taking a bribe of EUR 90,000 from an influential business conglomerate in 2016. The money was found hidden in a vodka box, but Masiulis claimed it was a loan by coming up with a handwritten contract.
The court case became a test of the rule of law in Lithuania as powerful business conglomerates could easily buy political influence and win the case. The nation was furious and justice eventually prevailed. Masiulis was sentenced to jail for accepting a bribe on October 22, 2023.
Pakruojis Manor Distillery and Not Perfect Lithuania saw an opportunity to create a special drink to celebrate this, but had to do it very quickly while the case was still fresh in the nation’s mind.
In just 72 hours after Masiulis was sentenced to jail, they created, designed, produced and got into stores a special commemorative drink called “Paskoline” or “Loan Bitter” in English.
The bottle came in a specially designed box with a unique cut-out window that made it look like a prison cell. The box was big enough to accommodate EUR 90,000 and came with a loan agreement in case the police showed up.
To promote Paskoline in Lithuania where alcohol advertising is banned, they recreated the crime scene where limited edition bottles were handed to influencers in the car model Masiulis was caught in. The videos quickly went viral on social media.
The product concept, packaging design, on-ground activation and social media caught the nation’s attention and all 2,000 commemorative bottles of Paskoline sold out on the very first day of the product launch.
A fitting commemoration of the case, Paskoline is a salute to the rule of law in Lithuania and a toast to the effectiveness of creativity in marketing. Following the strong demand, Pakruojis Manor Distillery included Paskoline into their regular product line. Today, Paskoline can be found in stores and online.
Ted Lim, Creative Consultant to Not Perfect Lithuania, said: “Hats off to the team at Pakruojis Manor Distillery and Not Perfect Lithuania for pulling this off in 72 hours and selling out Paskoline on the very first day of the launch. Paulius Senuta, Rokas Eltermanas, Marius Lukosius and team did work that was different and made a difference; work that got people to stop, stare and share; work that moved people and business, from engagement to transaction. Creative and effective, Paskoline is proof of the effectiveness of creativity in marketing.”
Credits
Client: Paskoline
Managing Director: Šarūnas Karalius
Agency: Not Perfect Lithuania
Chief Strategy Planner: Paulius Senuta
Executive Creative Director: Rokas Eltermanas
Creative Director: Marius Lukosius
Art director: Viktorija Rumiancevaitė
Designer: Jekaterina Lukanina
Creative Consultant: Ted Lim
