G&L Guitars

Not all rock stars play music. Here’s how shifting the story from product to legacy built real awareness.

My roles: Client research | Creative concepts & design | Copywriting | Landing page development

01. The Challenge

G&L Guitars had a branding problem most companies would love to have. Founded by Leo Fender himself, the brand was living in the shadow of Fender Guitars. With limited marketing and ongoing supply-chain issues, selling more guitars wasn’t the priority. Awareness was. Get people to know the G&L name and understand why they matter.

02. The Insights

Research uncovered a compelling story: Leo Fender didn’t play guitar. Yet, he engineered some of the most innovative and influential instruments in music history. People knew the Fender name, but very few knew the story of the man behind it, or that his final and most refined work lived on through G&L. That gap became the opportunity.

03. The Big Idea

Instead of trying to out-Fender Fender, the campaign leaned into Leo’s story. I created a series of ads focused on his innovations, using his original technical drawings and historic photography as inspiration. The work positioned G&L not as a competitor or alternative, but as the culmination of Leo Fender’s lifelong pursuit of better instrument design.

Social ad concept - framing innovation as legacy

Landing page - deepening the story beyond the ads

04. The Impact

Each ad drove traffic to the G&L website, where users could dig deeper into the brand’s origins and philosophy. As interest grew and site traffic increased, the campaign moved into a second phase. A landing page was designed that carried the story forward and helped turn that curiosity into deeper engagement.

The campaign didn’t try to sell guitars. Instead, it invited people to learn about the man behind the guitars, giving G&L a distinct, authentic voice.