Dive Brief:
- Pernod Ricard brand Jameson has joined forces with Grammy-winning musician and record producer Anderson .Paak on a "#LoveThyBar" campaign that encourages people to support local bars, according to a press release.
- The effort includes a 30-second spot showing Anderson .Paak performing in a bar in his hometown of Oxnard, California. "Oxnard" is the name of his most recent album. In the video, he puts out a "public service announcement" warning about all of the neighborhood establishments that are shuttering around the country.
- As part of the push, which launches ahead of St. Patrick's Day, Jameson is offering drink rebates to consumers in select states. To claim a rebate, consumers can chat with the brand via Facebook Messenger, visit a local bar, order a Jameson cocktail and send an image of the receipt through the app. Fans can follow the campaign on social media using the hashtag #LoveThyBar.
Dive Insight:
Jameson is leveraging the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday and a rising star musician to draw attention to a decline in on-premise alcohol consumption, which has pinched alcohol sales and, subsequently, bars in recent years. The Irish whiskey brand is centering its message on how people need to go out to neighborhood spots and reconnect with friends over a drink, as research shows a growing number of people, and millennials especially, prefer to drink at home in an effort to save money.
Jameson has continued to lean into popular social media apps to capitalize on the uptick in sales that happens around St. Patrick's Day. In 2017, it created age-gated Snapchat geofilters for Canadian consumers that shared dynamic messages and also ran a sweepstakes on its social channels.
As people are spending more time on messaging apps, Jameson hopes that offering rebates on Messenger will encourage more people to head out and redeem a cocktail. Other booze brands have used a similar strategy. Michelob Ultra tapped Messenger in a 2017 campaign to encourage signups for its weekly "influencer-led" workout sessions.
Teaming up with Anderson .Paak coul further increase fan engagement for Jameson. The partnership makes Jameson the latest brand to focus on a trendy musician as a means for reaching younger consumers. Lay's recently worked with artist Bebe Rexha on an exclusive track to promote its new, limited-edition flavors. It can be downloaded via the chips' packaging. Oreo is featuring Wiz Kahlifa and his five-year-old son in a current campaign, which includes an original song as well.
