Dive Brief:
- Bacardi's Grey Goose Vodka brand hired out-of-work bartenders for a new video series, "House Pour," on how to mix drinks, the company shared with Marketing Dive.
- Each video on the brand's social channels will include a swipe-up link to donate to funds supporting bartenders, including the United States Bartender Guild, Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, and Another Round Another Rally.
- Brooklyn bartender A.K. Hada stars in the first episode on Grey Goose's YouTube page. In the video, she teaches viewers how to mix an afternoon spritz cocktail. The brand will release additional videos from different bartenders around the globe over the next few weeks.
Dive Insight:
COVID-19 shutdowns have created a phenomenon of online baking- and drinks-making challenges, and Grey Goose is looking to connect with consumers at home by spotlighting home mixology recipes.
At the same time, the effort also helps to raise awareness of the faces of real people who are currently unemployed due to restaurant and bar closures. By hiring real bartenders to star in these videos, the brand is providing paychecks to a few bartenders and serving staff. Additionally, the videos include links to organizations that are raising money for bar workers in the hopes that people who watch the videos will also go and tip their bartenders, albeit virtually. More than half of consumers are happy to hear how brands are helping out communities in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a 4A's survey.
Other alcohol brands have run campaigns that address how to help unemployed bar workers, including Coors, which pledged $1 million to help bartenders, and Patrón Tequila. Guinness ran a campaign around St. Patrick's Day, in which the beer maker pledged to give $500,000 to help people who have lost jobs during the health crisis. The campaign was positively received for likeability, relatability and information delivered, an Ace Metrix study found.
Similarly, hard seltzer brand Crook & Marker ran a social media campaign in April with the biggest "digital cheers in history" to help bartenders who have suffered financial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic. Consumers were encouraged to post selfies or livestream videos of themselves offering a toast on Instagram or Facebook using the #CheersUp hashtag. The beverage brand donated $1 to the USBG Bartender Emergency Assistance Program for every social media post up to $10,000.
