In February 2021, Grey Goose launched Grey Goose Essences, a line of low-ABV vodkas infused with real fruit and botanical essences. As the largest innovation since Grey Goose original, the brand wanted to introduce Essences to consumers with a buzzy and highly-engaging activation that would immerse viewers into the multisensorial world of the new offerings.
In July 2021, Grey Goose partnered with the multi-hyphenate, Grammy-nominated singer SZA for “IN BLOOM,” a one-of-a-kind, multisensorial musical experience that brought to life the extraordinary natural and exuberant taste of Grey Goose Essences. SZA served as the official creative consultant for the one-night-only event, which was live streamed to a global audience from Wisdome in Los Angeles.
Created in collaboration with SZA, Grey Goose, and First Tube Media, IN BLOOM was filmed using innovative production methods to blend virtual and live-action set pieces, including choreographed drone technology and a traditional Steadicam. SZA performed against a dynamic, blooming set, which was brought to life with pulsing light and graphics. The performance was streamed live globally on SZA’s YouTube channel, as well as across all Grey Goose social platforms. The virtual concert was supported by a 360° campaign including a suite of creative assets, paid media activations, press outreach, influencer partnerships, product creation, and social amplification. To drive awareness and sign-ups for the virtual concert, influencer partners were contracted to create content across Instagram and YouTube to amplify viewership. Additionally, influencers encouraged their audience to purchase an Essences cocktail kit to enjoy while they watched the concert from the comfort of their homes.
On the day of the show, the live stream garnered over 7.7 million views in under an hour, with 93K concurrent viewers across all endpoints and total viewership topping 2.1B. A “Behind the Scenes” footage film with additional IN BLOOM concert content also garnered an additional 1.1M views, with 23% of those views coming from YouTube searches.
From a press standpoint, Grey Goose secured coverage across national and regional publications, including an exclusive announcement in Rolling Stone and interviews with SZA in outlets such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, People, Essence and more, with each driving to the “IN BLOOM” landing page. In total, Grey Goose landed over 200 stories reaching 1.5B impressions. Additionally, Grey Goose worked with 64 influencer partners to amplify the program on social media, resulting in a reach of over 100M through 326 social posts shared on YouTube and Instagram.
The paid media strategy implemented on Spotify garnered 9.1MM impressions overall, driving listeners ages 21-44 to experience the concert on the brand and talent partner’s channels.
Together, the paid and earned media strategies translated to incredible click-through and purchasing results. Website click-throughs from the livestream and paid media garnered 43,331 page views, doubling the traffic estimate and resulting in 400 kits being sold as of August 2021. Even after the media strategy ended, the live stream that was available on SZA’s channel garnered 355,000 additional organic views.
