Kahlúa showcases least-liked Instagram posts in pop-up art exhibit

Brief:

Liqueur brand Kahlúa is poking fun at social media with an art exhibit to showcase Instagram posts that didn't receive any "likes." The "Zero Likes Given" pop-up exhibition urges people to stop worrying about how many likes they get on social media and to enjoy life in the moment, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
The Pernod Ricard brand also added a section to its website called #BottomNine to help Instagram users see which of their posts received the fewest "likes." After giving the web-based app permission to search through their image feeds, users can save the results to their camera roll or share them on Instagram. Creative agency Droga5 helped develop the "Zero Likes Given" campaign
Jackie Cruz, a star of Netflix’s "Orange Is the New Black," hosts the exhibit of dozens of Instagram photos originally posted by Instagram users worldwide. The gallery will display the oldest "zero-liked" picture from the image-sharing app that was posted in 2010. Kahlúa’s website offers free tickets to the event, which will be held July 25-28 at 198 Allen St. in New York, Adweek reported.

Insight:

Kahlúa's irreverent "Zero Likes Given" campaign aims to urge young adults to live in the moment without lecturing them to get off their smartphones. The humorous take on least-liked Instagram posts highlights the brand's laid-back attitude while associating its coffee-flavored liqueur with fun, in-the-moment experiences.

More than 90% of U.S. millennial social-media users said it's important to live in the moment, while more than half had missed an important moment because they were trying to capture it on social media, per a survey that Kahlúa commissioned to learn more about millennial social media habits. More than 60% of respondents said it's important to them that their photos get likes, while 34% check for likes a minute or less after posting. One-third of millennials on social media said they would miss social media more than they would miss sex if stranded alone on an island.

Kahlúa's art exhibit of least-liked Instagram posts is the latest example of an experience-based campaign that urges young adults to mingle in the real world, preferably over cocktails. Cointreau, the orange liqueur made by Remy Cointreau, partnered with woman-first social networking app Bumble to host Margarita Monday events in select cities this summer. Malibu, the brand of coconut-flavored rum marketed by Pernod Ricard, boosted worldwide sales by 6% from a year earlier with a summer-themed campaign that included location-based geofilters on Snapchat to correspond with special events like music festivals.

Ironically, Kahlúa's campaign may go viral on Instagram as users check out its #BottomNine web-based app and share the results with their friends and followers. Social campaigns have become a key marketing strategy in the past few years for liquor brands that aim to reach tech-savvy young adults who are more likely to consume media on smartphones. Skyy Vodka, Malibu, Shackleton Whiskey, Jägermeister and Three Olives Vodka, among others, also have developed mobile campaigns aimed at prolonging brand exposure among on-the-go consumers.

U.S. millennials on average spend about 1% of their annual incomes on alcohol, in line with older generations, according to a 2017 survey by Nerdwallet. In real terms, that spending level translates into the least of any generation. Young adults spend the greatest portion of their alcohol budget (53%) and the most money overall on booze away from home, the survey found.