Pakmode Media + Marketing
As a marketing intern for Pakmode, I oversaw the online marketing of two popular campus bars, Good Time Charleys and Cantina Taqueria + Bar. My work included creative copywriting for each distinct brand, photography & basic video work, and overall social media strategy.
This role gave me the opportunity to reposition the brands for each bar as relatable but respectable locations, replacing a previously patchwork brand marketing strategy with a consistent, intentional presence on all platforms.
Good Times Charley’s is best known for its iconic fishbowl cocktails. I leaned into that as a central pillar for the brand’s social media strategy. Side-note: they look super cool when lit up.
Despite being well known for its large, cheap cocktails, Charley’s had previously underutilized one of its most iconic assets when it came to its social media marketing. Rather than using the striking visual of a 64oz cocktail to stand out on Instagram, the brand’s account was filled with screengrabs of University of Michigan-related assets.
I introduced a new fishbowl-centric strategy that used the drink, along with some of its Charley’s cousins like the beer pitcher, pepperoni styx, and outdoor patio, to drive home what made Charley’s a unique on-campus destination. Social engagement was consistently higher after I took over the accounts and followers increased around 30%.
Pakmode had a large library of high-quality stock photo and video assets for both Charley’s and Cantina. I repurposed those assets in new, fun ways. Merry Christmas!
Because my role was more ground-level marketing, I didn’t have access to a lot of high-end equipment to produce content. Luckily, Pakmode’s large asset library gave me a lot of tools to work with.
I altered stock photos to fit seasonal and thematic moments (like this holiday themed shot), edited full length commercial videos down for use on social media, and reformatted short form videos into Twitter-friendly GIFs. This collection of high-quality assets allowed me to add diversity to the aforementioned fishbowl-centric strategy. Even the coolest brand needs to show people it can dress up well for the right occasion.
Cantina was previously known as BTB Cantina, home to greasy burritos and cheap drinks. When they rebranded, their social media had to undergo a rebrand of its own.
Reinventing a campus mainstay can be tough when that mainstay’s legacy is so well known. But during my time managing Cantina’s social media presence, Pakmode helped the bar rebrand itself as a new-age, locally sourced taqueria and cantina.
This shift meant the bar’s content strategy had to shift from college humor to high quality, food-focused messaging. Lighting had to emphasize freshness and pictures of the bar area had to show that, while still a place for dancing and memorable nights, it was a premium bar.
Timeline:
Marketing Intern: May 2016 - May 2017
Fishbowl Lover: For life