Truly cracks open love with contest to encourage Valentine's Day first dates

Dive Brief:

Truly Hard Seltzer, which is owned by the Boston Beer Co., announced a sweepstakes to reward drinkers 21 and older who make plans for a Valentine's Day first date, per a press release.
In order to participate, entrants must tweet proof of their Valentine's Day first date to @TrulySeltzer with the hashtag #TrulyVibin. The proof can be anything from a screenshot of a direct message sent to a crush to a pre-date selfie. The most creative submissions will be awarded $100 via Cash App, with the top five receiving $1,000.
The sweepstakes allows for Truly to generate social media buzz and hype in a fairly organic way, without the need to rely on influencers.

Dive Insight:

Inspiration for the campaign came from a survey of 2,000 people conducted by the Boston Beer Co. which found 70% of Americans would be willing to go on a first date on Valentine's Day. Truly's social media campaign focuses on rewarding risk takers in love while also generating, feel-good, retweetable content that can extend the company's reach.

"There tends to be a stigma associated with Valentine's Day for long-term couples only, so we're excited to give our drinkers this opportunity to get outside their comfort zones and use the holiday as a chance for something new. Whether they find true love, a new best friend or end up with a great story, we just hope they have a great Valentine's Day," Lesya Lysyj, Boston Beer Co. CMO, said in the press release.

Social media marketing has become key in recent years. Influencer marketing is expected to grow into a $16.4 billion industry in 2022. Truly's Valentine's Day campaign allows the company to generate organic social buzz without the need to pay an influencer or brand partner.

Participants can tweet their entry between Feb. 3 and Feb. 28, with winners chosen on March 1. In addition to the prizes, any couple that gets engaged to be married within one year of their Valentine's Day first date will be eligible to have their wedding paid for (up to $50,000). The bar will be stocked with Truly.

Truly is the second largest hard seltzer brand in the U.S., capturing 28% of the market. It is second only to White Claw, which holds 40% of the market. Hard seltzer's popularity has exploded in recent years, especially among young consumers. The popularity of the beverage has Truly's manufacturer worried about oversaturation. Boston Beer Co. went so far as to say the popularity of the drink has "come to an end."

As the world enters the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer people intend on going out to dinner, and marketers are eager to find ways to put excitement back into the love-themed holiday. Truly is the latest in a growing lineup of brands jumping on young, millennial or Gen Z love this Valentine's Day. Burger chain Shake Shake recently unveiled a chicken-themed dating app, for example.

The Valentine's Day campaign allows Truly to firmly align itself with the young, social media-savvy consumer. Millennials are typically the biggest drinkers of hard seltzer, and Truly's effort encourages them to interact on a more personal level with the brand.