SARAH CASON

Have you ever wondered about the scientists donning the lab coats and innovating the next miracle drugs in laboratories around the world?

In a new video series I helped to concept and create, Johnson & Johnson’s early-stage innovation collaborators lift the lid on the realities and sacrifices of life as an entrepreneur.

Step into their labs, their homes, and hear what drives their sense of purpose. Learn about their passions and their sacrifices. And understand why J&J is all-in with them for their journey.

In the first of the series, Dr. Robert Zhao, Founder and CEO of Hangzhou DAC shares his personal connection to cancer and how it led to the formation of his company and over 500 patents.

A Walgreens copywriter noticed her local store didn’t sell Juneteenth cards. She brought it up to her boss, got connected to an illustrator, and designed her own. I collaborated with Walgreens’ creative studio to lead the interview and share her story.

The brief: introduce the ease of prescription management through the Walgreens app to an audience of seniors and caregivers. The result: a video where TikTok stars, The Old Gays, two of whom are HIV positive, are educated in digital app management by a Walgreens pharmacist. I wrote the script, and the story was picked up by Out magazine, AdAge, and Drug Store News.

Meet Sydney James, an accomplished Detroit-area muralist who has made the world an accessible canvas for her community. She is also the creative force behind Walgreens Boots Alliance’s 2021 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report and No7 ‘Unstoppable Together’ campaign. Click here to read.

In remembrance of George Floyd on the one-year anniversary of his death, I spoke with Walgreens team members from Minneapolis to get their perspective on how our country has progressed, if at all, in light of the revolution he inspired. Click here to read.

Jordana Brewster was the celebrity spokesperson for Walgreens and Comic Relief’s 2021 Red Nose Day campaign. We chatted about the Fast and Furious franchise, what quarantine was like as a mom of two, and the importance of teaching charitable giving to your kids. Oh, and what’s in her Walgreens shopping bag, of course. Click here to read.

As the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world and variants and vaccines emerged, I interviewed Dr. Kevin Ban, the chief medical officer at Walgreens, to get straightforward answers to readers’ most frequently asked questions. Click here to read.

To make Walgreens’ same-day prescription delivery service stand out, we engaged Chicagoland influencer Danielle Moss, whose daughter was battling leukemia and could stay protected from COVID-19 with this new offering. I wrote the script and accompanying newsroom story to showcase how ordinary services can impact customers in extraordinary ways.

COVID-19 caused unprecedented snags in the supply chain. What does that mean for Walgreens’ holiday shoppers? I interviewed the VP of Inventory Management to discuss his team’s creative solutions, from booking planes to rearranging shelves, in order to keep the season merry and bright. Click here to read.

To roll out the “Your request. Our pleasure.” campaign, influencer photography was leveraged into canvas ads highlighting different properties.

A series of Instant Experience Ads highlight experiences at properties worldwide through a series of timestamped images and destination-focused copy.

An interactive Instagram Story encouraged fans to circle their favorite way to #LiveUnforgettable.

Opening a hotel in the summer of 2020 was no easy feat. To safely encourage travel to Virgin Hotels Nashville in the time of COVID-19, we launched a campaign aimed at locals. Turns out, lots of people want to “Be the First.”

On day one, Virgin Hotels let us know two things: they’re based in America, but they still want their brand voice to be as cheeky as the global Virgin brand.

Number two: be cheeky, not tacky.

The Hard Rock Hotels brand had been dormant on social media for years before approaching us to relaunch their channels. Lucky for us, they happened to be opening a new property in Palm Springs at the same time as Desert Trip, a six-day music festival with legendary headliners. We proposed a low-barrier contest to garner engagement and fan growth in a way that aligned with the brand’s core value: music.

607 people entered the contest. It garnered 98,984 impressions, 1,592 moments of engagement, and 11.4K tab visits.

The Hard Rock Hotel Brand has music woven into its DNA. At a time when the world was quarantining, HRH wanted to connect followers with the musicians they love. Our team worked to create timely assets across multiple digital marketing channels in the spring of 2020. For the latest, click here.

You can stop us from traveling, but you can’t stop the music! The #CantStopTheMusic series was brought to life by Hard Rock Hotel’s love for music and talented musicians looking to spread some positivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The series encouraged guests to stay safe at home while connecting with us through the power of music.

This Post Elevation ad for Four Seasons Jackson Hole, published in October 2020, led to an estimated revenue of $66,129.43 and 107:1 return on ad spend.

Crafted copy for a Facebook culinary contest hosted by InterContinental San Francisco to highlight the Luce Culinary Clash.

Filmed congratulatory video for Travel & Leisure's Best Resort in Mexico 2016 recipient with a GoPro. Resulted in 20,000 views all gained organically.

Played off the “Music City” moniker to promote following a new Nashville hotel.

A collection of marketing materials to promote content curation and webpage aesthetics to clients.

Physical postcard mailed to properties during slow season.  Added tips on content improvement to back.

Brainstormed and streamlined four simple tips for improving content here.

Leveraged global advertising creative slogan into a local banner ad.

Collaborated with Amsterdam-based marketing department for US-appropriate promotional material.

Promotional flyer for use at trade shows

Promotional flyer for trade shows 

A sampling of hotel descriptions written for Priceline.com.  A concentration on SEO-friendly phrasing, short, manageable paragraphs, and eye-catching, universal language was applied to these assignments.

At Design Bureau, I was tapped to write a variety of different pieces, covering topics from guerilla marketing campaigns to restaurant design to the history of the Wellington boot.  Please feel free to contact me for additional samples.

In January 2012, a creative piece of mine was selected to be published on Thoughtcatalog.com, a public, collective blog with an average daily audience of 250,000+. 

As a creative writing major at the University of Illinois, several of my pieces were selected to be published in Montage, the campus literary magazine.