The Official Drink of St. Patrick’s Day
Best Campaign That Uses a Holiday Theme in its Promotion
Agency: Marketing Drive, Vizeum, Ad Nectar, Legacy Marketing Partners, TBWA
Campaign: The Official Drink of St. Patrick’s Day
Client: Pernod Ricard USA
Although the St. Patrick’s Day time period (typically 3 weeks) is a popular time for spirits consumption in the U.S., Pernod Ricard says it has always been dominated by beer, especially in the minds of consumers.
As an authentic Irish whiskey, Jameson wanted to increase its volume during the key St. Patrick’s Day window both in 2010 and over the long-term by building awareness, brand consideration, trial and frequency of usage.
Capitalizing on its Irish roots and other insights, the brand was able to create an ownable platform against the theme “The Official Drink of St. Patrick’s Day.” The national promotion optimized integration to raise consumer awareness and amplify engagement through all disciplines of the marketing mix making this the most integrated program to date for the brand. Consumers voted for Jameson on Facebook by adding the “Count Me In” badge to their profiles, spreading the “Official Drink” word by posting their badges and sending virtual celebratory drinks to all their friends.
Through POS/merchandising materials and managed bar nights, consumers were invited to help make Jameson the “Official Drink” with free samples, “Count Me In” badges and a push to go to Jameson’s Facebook page to help spread the word.
Print ads ran in ESPN, Maxim, Paste, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Spin and The Onion. Radio spots ran in selected markets, while digital outreach was generated through banner ads.
Radio DJs from 19 U.S. markets were flown to Ireland to broadcast on St. Patrick’s Day. They talked up the Official Drink initiative for several weeks leading up to the holiday, generating 153 hours of on-air exposure. Blogging resulted in two feature stories in publications with 7 million circulation.
During managed bar nights, more than 40,000 consumers sampled Jameson and 38,000 premiums were distributed. On Facebook, nearly 200,000 votes were counted and 845,000 virtual drinks passed. Its Facebook fan base increased by 26% (approximately 15,000 fans). In total, 22 million impressions were generated.
In the end, Jameson’s depletions growth rate accelerated significantly faster (+41% vs. year ago) during the St. Patrick’s Day campaign compared with the prior year’s performance (+11%.)
