Kicking Horse Coffee is standing out from what it deems safe industry advertising by making an ass of itself, so to speak. The coffee brand’s platform, “Kickstart Your Heart,” and its first-ever North American campaign features a donkey on a motorcycle and the Mötley Crüe song “Kickstart My Heart.”

Lori Hatcher-Hillier, chief marketing officer at Kicking Horse Coffee, tells strategy that with brand equity dating back to the mid-90s in Invermere, B.C., the company is ready to bring its story to new consumers through a campaign that, like the coffee, is a “big, bold kick in the ass.” This was especially important given that most coffee industry advertising feels stodgy and safe, she adds.

“We want you to wake up and pursue whatever makes your heart tick,” Hatcher-Hillier says. “Coffee is the conduit to getting s*** done every day, waking up and pursuing passions, so we thought it was time a campaign reflected that.”

The new look and feel will appear on all of Kicking Horse Coffee’s marketing. However, the brand is keeping its austere, black packaging due to its popularity with consumers, Hatcher-Hillier says.  Kicking Horse Coffee is also launching a new K-Cup and Keurig range.

Last fall, the Lavazza Group-owned brand opened its first Kicking Horse Coffee flagship café at the company’s Invermere, B.C. headquarters.

The “Kickstart Your Heart” video spot is airing on TV and online across Canada and the U.S. as part of a fully integrated campaign that includes cinema, paid social, digital and an extensive out-of-home component with billboards, TSAs and posters.

The entire campaign is led by a brand strategy and platform visual identity developed by Lifelong Crush, which won the Kicking Horse AOR mandate earlier this year, and whose CCO Christina Yu promised to “to shake up a sleepy coffee industry.”

Media planning and buying is by Epitaph, and public relations by Agnostic.