Jägermeister - the legendary drink of ski lodges was once the life and soul of the party. But the once great spirit had fallen on hard times. Millennials saw it as loud, aggressive and outdated; the shot drunk alone at the end of the night, not the way you start a night with mates. Jager had bombed, so much so that consideration and sales were now at an all-time low (Source: Brown Forman brand tracking, 2014). Furthermore, the dark spirits category was in a steady decline (down -3.1% decline YOY, LMA 2014) as the Aussie male looked for alternative lighter drinking experiences.
With such a negative stigma and category trends UM had a tough challenge ahead! It needed to reposition Jägermeister as the premium ice cold shot that was once again the spark for a great night out.
The agency’s task was made harder by the fact that it only had a single print creative to work with and a new brand platform that lacked any meaning in the Australian market. It needed an inventive and creative solution to reinvigorate the brand and get back within the social pack.
Success was to be measured by:
- Increasing brand consideration scores by 10%
- Reaching 70% of all males 18-28 in Australia
- Driving 10% total engagement with males 18-28
- Increasing sales by 2%.
Planning & Execution
In order for Jägermeister to gain acceptance and understanding within these social groups, UM had to demonstrate the brand’s understanding of who they were and what drove their group dynamics. This understanding wasn’t just about what these guys were into, but also how they expressed themselves within their social circles.
Facebook was identified as a core channel that groups of guys used to keep in contact, share their nights and build out their social persona. Through bespoke research with these guys, UM uncovered a core consumer truth: In Australia, it’s the banter on a night out that bonds groups of guys together.
The solution became clear: create an innovative social campaign and become part of the pack by providing social ammunition that would spark friendly banter on a night out.
The big idea….TAG-MEISTER. The agency created five characters built off recognisable attributes that guys display within their social circle.
Introducing…..
- The suave Stag
- The dependable Wingman
- The recluse Snow Leopard
- The scheming Dodger
- The nocturnal Night Owl
They would become the heroes for the campaign and a way of bringing the spirit of Jägermeister to life.
UM built a suite of social media content, placing these characters in amusing scenarios, encouraging the audience to tag their mates who best embodied this character’s behaviours. This provided an opportunity for casual, friendly banter, all of which was facilitated by Jägermeister.
One by one, UM teased out the characters to its audience. Before there was even a chance to announce who these characters were, the audience beat them to it. This was followed by a full roll out, where the specific character traits of the heroes were seeded out to the audience one by one.
Once established, the campaign went one step further time targeting advertising to specific moments, when those character traits would be most prevalent.
- Getting up at 6AM on a Sunday morning? Then there was a message in your newsfeed wishing the Night Owl a safe passage against the rising sun.
- Wanting to plan a weekend with a mate in a long term relationship? Then on a Tuesday night you’d see a message, because we know the Snow Leopard’s always needed a few extra days to negotiate his green pass.
The audience adopted the characters like they were one of their own using social stories to tag and pay out their mates. They were so popular that our characters became social celebrities in their own right. They commented on every big event, from music festivals to the footy finals. The social team responded to comments in real time reacting to what was happening in the moment.
It even challenged people to tell why their crew was Strange but True. And they did in the thousands, with one lucky group ending up as illustrated versions of themselves.
Effectiveness / Results
The campaign was a runaway success! On a budget of just $180k, it reached 88% of the M18-28 Facebook audience, with the staggering 15% of the all men 18-28 in Australia directly engaging with the campaign.
In total, there were over 86,837 comments on posts. The kicker was that each of these comments was more often than not a “tag”, which meant that the audience was passing the message on, directly embedding Jägermeister within a group of friends.
Total number of engagements for the campaign period was 692,975, equating to an overall engagement rate of 17.15%. This figure is 36 x the average rate of engagements for any alcohol brand’s in Australia during the campaign period.
The campaign led to a staggering 16 point lift in ad recall and a 20% uplift in brand purchase consideration.
Most importantly, following eight years of decline, it bucked the category trend and increased sales by 10% YOY.
By taking a brave approach, Jägermeister became the most talked about alcohol brand in Australia and was put back into the centre of pack.