Jason Donahoe

Hard luxury isn’t an easy sector to advertise. Gone are the days of the cheeky and plainspoken Porsche ad, the utility-focused Rolex campaign. These days, it’s all high poetry and hyperbole. We sought to change that at WatchBox.

The international brand is the world’s largest retailer of pre-owned luxury timepieces (although we don’t like to use the word “pre-owned.”) As a consultant, I helped WatchBox define its brand voice and messaging strategy. We focused on the deeply personal, white-glove service WatchBox provides clients, and the intense passion for horology that connects us with collectors around the world.

Once I joined the team full time, I helped execute messaging across Print, Video, Web, App, OOH, Email and Social and worked to develop our e-commerce messaging and campaign strategy.

They say the practice of copywriting is an inch deep and a mile wide. At the very end of that mile is a product that you probably don’t even know exists. But it, too, can use some copy to sell it.

Keystone Capsules is the first and only American manufacturer to produce tin wine capsules (the metal sleeve that caps the cork on a nice bottle of merlot). J2 was helping them launch their brand and asked me to lend some words to the endeavor.

Agency: J2

IRSC is a batshit crazy community college near the Treasure Coast of Florida. Armed with a serious endowment bequeathed upon them by Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, they were looking to take the world of higher education by storm. For basically-free tuition costs, IRSC offers everything from Barbering Certificates to Paralegal and Engineering Degrees, and even have a Law Enforcement training center on campus where you can learn to drive police cars. Wow!

Agency: Truth & Consequences

The SUNY system has shaped the lives of millions of New Yorkers. Now, SUNY Online is set to expand that impact around the country. We created two distinct directions to help bring SUNY to the world. Some of my favorite lines are on this page.

Agency: Truth & Consequences

Some favorite print concepts for the NY Islanders pitch that never saw the light of day. Revived and revised for your enjoyment because it's good to finish what you start.

Mr. Harvey moved to Los Angeles, but wanted his viewers to know he was still the same old Steve. So we developed key art and messaging for the third season of his relocated show. The 5 o’clock shadow grew in, the tagline stayed (mostly) intact, and we learned some great life lessons along the way.

Partner: PJ Crisanti

Built from the merger of Philadelphia University and Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson is redrawing the limits of higher ed to deliver an education built for the 21st century.  So how do you introduce the world to a new University built from the combined 328-year legacy of two institutions? With a massive OOH campaign and an 80+ page viewbook.

Campaign Design: PJ Crisanti, Lindsey Tweed
Viewbook Concept: PJ Crisanti
Viewbook Design: Justin Spinozzi

Sometimes things get out of hand at agency happy hour and you buy a 33-wiener hot dog roller and you decide to write and design a brand for it in your down time. The only missing link is the actual product. If you know a wiener guy, HMU.

Logo Development: Courtney Brown
Truck Design: Juliann Gates