Objectives

Plymouth Gin is: One of the top-selling gin brands in the world One of bartenders' preferred gins for a Martini Made in one distillery, on one still, with a heritage dating back to 1793 The most referenced gin in the iconic Savoy Cocktail Book and the gin used in the first Dry Martini Q: How will Plymouth Gin establish the strongest digital presence of the top-selling gin brands? A: By being disruptive. Our Goal: Let's #CauseAStir Curate an unparalleled gallery of consistent, compelling original photography Establish the Martini as the brand hero (in a sea of gin and tonic) Highlight the people making, mixing and enjoying the brand – with an emphasis on the bartender Showcase the unique consumer lifestyle and insert the brand into it Capture and speak to the local audience – in addition to the sizable inherited international following Be the most followed gin brand on Instagram? Turns out that can be bought – but you can't buy authentic engagement. Here's another way to #CauseAStir: order a Plymouth Martini…

Strategy and Execution

How to #CauseAStir:

• 1. Collaborate.
  • In October 2017, Plymouth Gin sought out Ford Media Lab (FML)– born from the industry – to tell their compelling brand story through the voices of the industry.
• 2. Start with a clean slate.
  • We said goodbye to 1,000 off-brand and unfocused posts –think stock images and blurry cell phone snaps – from past generations of management.
• 3. Make bold moves.
  • We chose a unique image filter, resulting in a uniform color tone that is reflective of the brand's Pantone color story.
  • We chose to frame images with striking white borders surrounding intentionally alternating vertical and horizontal image orientations.
  • Call us impatient, but we couldn't stand to see a skimpy grid, so we seeded 24 original images over 4 days for a solid base.
  • Many of our images don't even have a bottle in them [gasp!].
• 4. Stay focused and do what others don't (or won't).
  • A subliminal pattern presents the complete brand story every six images. Can you see it?
  • Category specific hashtags for each of the six stories guide content, brand activities and consumer behaviors – on and off the 'gram.
  • The consumer comes to life through the lens of two fictional brand muses who show how Plymouth Gin fits into their lifestyles.
  • Bartender portraits and authentic testimonials demonstrate industry favor and celebrate the people who pour Plymouth Gin.
• 5. Make it meaningful.
  • Intentional following of 1793 users (for the 1793 birthdate of the brand).
  • We engage with the consumer through calls to action and thoughtful two-way dialogue, resulting in accelerated engagement rates.
  • We hand-upload each post ourselves – never from a scheduling app – for optimum image integrity and quality control.
  • Planned in 2017, we are currently in process of sharing 12 unique images from a recent visit to the Plymouth Gin Distillery in Plymouth, England. Designed to guide followers through the full brand experience and bring the brand to life, the series is differentiated by a square-border format.
• 6. Keep your competitors close.
  • We regularly track the moves of our top-selling competition, allowing us to learn, grow and quantify our progress – like the 56% increase in engagement we've enjoyed in just 3 months of FML management.

Results

From October to December 31, 2017, Plymouth Gin:

• Posted 54 thoughtfully curated images on Instagram, all directed and captured by FML.
• Solely focused all drink imagery on the Martini, reinforcing Plymouth Gin's place in the original.
• Shared unprecedented musings, testimonials and portraits of:
  • 7 United States bartenders
  • 2 Plymouth Gin Brand Ambassadors and Educators
• Presented an array of completely non-branded, authentic lifestyle images that incited genuine reactions and two-way dialogue.

So, how did we do – in just 3 months of management?

Instagram:

• Increased followers by +6.1% on Instagram, from 27.2K to 29K.
• Enjoyed a 56% increase in engagement (from 1.08% to 1.68%).
• Our average post likes increased +64%.
• Though Plymouth Gin maintains the most modest following of our 5 competitors, we've:
  • Moved up to 3^rd from 5^th in engagement, surpassing brands with over 2x the following
  • Moved up to 4^th from 6^th in average likes, again surpassing brands with over 2x the following
  • Earned 3^rd of 6 in average comments, with 2^nd or 3^rd highest comments overall monthly

Facebook:

• Increased overall following by 42% and United States following +62% on Facebook utilizing extensive contact lists and targeted advertising, with 6 of the 10 top-following cities now located in the US and coinciding with the brand's target markets.

Media