In the summer of 2022, DCX and Voodoo Ranger, the IPA beer brand owned by New Belgium, set out to launch an unthinkable project: The construction of a beer-fueled, over-the-top amusement park in the heart of Napa Valley’s dignified wine community.

But the duo was far more interested in pranking local residents than actually following through on those plans.

The task began as an effort to use experiential marketing to promote Voodoo Ranger’s new Juice Force IPA, and in doing so move the brand out of social media—which comprises most of its marketing—and into the real world. The brewer has always maintained an absurdist brand identity, which made an elaborate prank—with the potential for online virality—an opportune activation.

DCX and Voodoo created a proposal for a 136-acre “Voodoo Ranger Action Park,” including plans for a 25,000-watt sound stage, beer-filled wave pool, RV park and more. They then took the idea to the Napa community—handing out flyers, taking over a billboard, hosting a consultant-style presentation for residents—and waited eagerly for the negative reactions.

Napa was chosen not only because of its diehard preference for wine, but also because of the NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) reputation of its locals, who would surely reject plans for something so extravagant.

Their consternation was immediate and propelled the campaign into the desired result. Local protests and newspaper headlines contributed to the effort’s 1 billion media impressions, spreading word of the brand's fake plans to all corners of the country.

It also boosted sales, and Voodoo Ranger ended 2022 as the top-selling brand in the craft beer category.