Honest Tea searches for The Most Honest City in America.

No cashiers. No security. Just racks of Honest Tea and the honor system. With little more than a clear box and a sign requesting “$1.00 per bottle,” this social experiment tested the honesty of American cities: Would people pay for a beverage they could take for free? Hidden cameras documented the human behavior at each location and the results were presented to the public through massive amounts of earned media. Coca-Cola would eventually buy a 100% stake in the brand.

HONEST TEA
THE MOST HONEST CITY IN AMERICA

AGENCY
SS+K

ROLE
Concept/Copywriting/Creative Direction/Director

MEDIA
Activation/Experiential/Outdoor/Documentary

AWARDS
Gold Cannes Lion · Clio · Comm Arts · D&AD

FIRST STOP: WALL STREET
The first Honest Store popped up as Obama was in town to admonish Wall Street for its role in the financial meltdown. We dropped this video the next morning. New York City media ate it up, and the national run got the green light.

THE EXPERIMENT CONTINUES…
Honest Stores popped up across America and Europe. Over seven years, the National Honest Index made honesty, and Honest Tea, an annual news story.