So, the Old Bushmills Distillery is based in Northern Ireland and Smarts PR agency were asked to create a campaign that would be succesful internationally in 2010, they wanted to create news, make people talk and engage Bushmills target audience.
Their answer was to create 'Make it at Bushmills' - a once in a lifetime oppurtunity for whiskey lovers around the world to win a months stay at the Old Bushmills Distillery on Ireland's spectacular north coast, working alongside the master distiller to create their own unique blend of irish whiskey, living in luxury accomodation, with £5,000 spending money.
They also wanted to establish Bushmills on Facebook and used facebook as one of the main focuses of the campaign helping to spread the word virally as well as using traditional types of media. For example entry for the competition had to be done solely through a dedicated Facebook App hosted on the page. The app was hosted on the Bushmills global facebook page and on three local market pages- Great Britain, South Africa and Bulgaria.
The Results
- They generated more than 2000 pieces of print, broadcast and media coverage in over 20 countries , in 14 languages just in the first 48 hours of launching the campaign.
- They created 115, 268, 122 OTS
- Bushmills global facebook page has over 36,000 fans
- Launch web video recieved 400,000 views
- ROI was £12 for every £1 spent on PR.
- Launched in 9 markets, 225% of target
- Media Coverage in 20+ countries, 500% above target
I think the campaign does deserve it's GOLD award, I think it was innovative and they did something that had never been done before (opening up the distillery) which showed they understood their target audience and what they wanted. The use of facebook was a great way to use social media in a time where it is fast becoming the easiest and cheapest way to get free publicity. I have to say however that I am not sure the campaign is sustainable and with the budget being £51k to £100k I think they are going to have to try to develop the campaign to gain consumer interest again, unless they can afford to do the competition again next year??
I would be grateful if you could tell me what you thought of the campaign and whether you thought it was a success.
Below is a link to the global Bushmills facebook page!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Bushmills1608
I think that this campaign definitely deserved it's gold award! The fact that they opened up the distillery and allowed people to make their own brand of whiskey is something that deserves recognition, and its also something that I would love to do. It managed to communicate with its target audience really effectively by doing something original, and the fact that it created a lot of talk and got a lot of coverage out of it proves that it was worth its gold award x
ReplyDeleteThey definitely got good results as shown through the coverage received from the first 48 hours of the campaign alone! But, maybe I'm wrong in saying this, I see Facebook as something the younger generation use more. Obviously it is spreading and growing more and more popular with all ages. But I also see whiskey as a bit of an 'old man's drink'. These are both generalisations, but it just suggests that Facebook was possibly not the best place for this campaign? Also, with such a large budget, it's hard to see where it was all spent
ReplyDeletePersonally, I wouldn't have entered the competition as the prize is of no interest to me. I also wonder who has a month free (no work?) to spend at the distillery? The answer is possibly retired people.. And if so, making people enter solely through Facebook doesn't seem the best place.
Maybe I haven't understood the campaign fully, but I'm slightly sceptical!
Thanks ladies.. I also thought that charlotte about the 'old man drink' and didnt think it would attract the correct target audience but it seems too have... there are over 36,000 followers on the twitter page for bushmills and various amounts on the other countries specific pages. Remember that the campgain was international so maybe the perceptions we have of whiskey are not the same as other markets?
ReplyDeleteI think that it was a great idea and obviously worked really well. But I agree that they will need to look for a new approach in the future as they cant keep spending that amount of money.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that limiting entries to facebook could have had an adverse affect on the campaign as it is used mostly by teenagers.
This campaign was def creative, and wow did they dig into a big budget to do so!
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the point of who is going to be spending a whole month in this place, surely these people must have jobs.
BUT I think all Bushmills needs to do now is embrace in what they have created as a tourist attraction instead of being just for competition winners. Because it was already publicised in over 20 countries, it should now be something ppl pick up on websites and magazine articles that recommend places to visit in Ireland. After all Ireland already has its famous reputation for drinking so the link is already there with the whiskey!
They should now bring their budget down, as it will be in the interest of the country's tourism economy to keep the word spreading. I am not saying to turn the distillery into a hotel because it should still have some exclusivity. But it should be open for people to visit on a daily basis and then bookings in advance should be made for people who want to stay they as a mini break. I hope this isn't already being done..or I'll look like a right muppet sitting here thinking I've come up with an idea!
All in all, just by looking at its results it did deserve the Gold award
I think that this campaign, despite the MASSIVE budget, did deserve GOLD. The coverage they achieved was fantastic and the fact the campaign had to run across 9 different markets made it a HUGE ask.
ReplyDeleteI can see why they chose to use Facebook, it is the most highly used social networking site, but I can also see why people may think that wasn't the most appropriate place. Maybe they could have enabled entrances to the competition on other webpage's too? Then again Facebook is easy for everyone to access on an international level, it probably made it easier to reach their vast target market this way.
The Prize of the campaign was HUGE! I personally think that if I was a whiskey lover I would be happy winning the chance to create my own unique blend of Irish whiskey?! Then more than just one person could have won that? Reaching more people, in turn creating more of a 'buzz'.
They could even have (to target an older/middle aged market) made a prize where business men and women could win business weekends to create their whiskey? (Team building, something different) that wasn't a month long. Plus I would have thought they were more of the age range the product is aiming to reach?
Overall I do think it deserved gold, but maybe now the budget can be lowered as the campaign continues! As for doing the competition again, I think they could, but they should make the prize less extravagant.
I'll join is as part of the pro Facebook crowd on this one. I agree that the old people market isn't perfect for Facebook but you would be suprised how many olds are on Facebook now, and the thing with the older generation is they are much less questioning of media and marketing and will happily click on like on a page without wondering if they are going to spam you with info and things!
ReplyDeleteI do have experience with this - at Headstream I worked on the Facebook page of Schloer for a bit, and that was nearly all middle aged women. There might not have been that many of them, but the ones they did have were really engaging with the brand like crazy, so it does work out sometimes.
As for the campaign itself, I think it used the money really well and very intelligently, but I find it hard to give it as much praise as some of the other CIPR winners. You throw enough money at anything and you'll be a success unless you really mess something up, and I think they had so much money on this one that they ended up doing a bit TOO much. Still, in the end it worked out and the company got what they wanted for the money, which is obviously the most important part!
I loved the idea of getting people to come and create their own brand of whiskey! It's so fun and orginial - definitely something I think alot of people would be interested in doing.
ReplyDeleteThe campaign created alot of coverage and encouraged people to talk - delivering great results. It definitely deserved the Gold in my opinion!
I think the campaign was great although the budget was huge, and as mentioned the social media didnt cost anything so where did the budget go? Having said that it did get worldwide coverage so yeah very good well done Bushmills.
ReplyDeleteI got the worst hangover of my life on Bushmills, whilst on a corporate outing in Ireland, as a guest of the Irish Sotck Exchange...so maybe I am biased, but...I don't think it deserved a Gold because one key measurement wasn't included in the campaign- SALES! What's the point of Opportunities to see, medai mentions, website hits and competition entries, if you can't actually point to sales figures that show it was worth it?
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