The Protect the West initiative was inspired by the firsthand impact the High West team has experienced living in the Western US. Based in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, with employees from CA, CO, and UT, they’ve seen the effects of climate change—rising temperatures, droughts, drier forests, and reduced snowpack—threatening the landscapes they call home.
As a California native and professional snowboarder, Shaun White has witnessed these changes too. Having lived and trained in Utah for the Olympics, his dedication to conservation and climate advocacy, along with his connection to High West, made him the ideal partner to champion this cause.
With this campaign, High West aims to educate the public about the impacts of climate change on the Western US and the specific challenges facing this region, including rising temperatures, droughts, and reduced snowpack, continue supporting partner organizations through donations, leverage partnership with fellow conservation advocate and brand ambassador Shaun White to amplify the Protect the West message and drive broader engagement and support for the cause.
In 2022, High West successfully introduced the Protect the West initiative, a commitment of $1 million over three years to organizations dedicated to keeping the West wild and preserving its beauty. The Protect the West platform distributes funding to organizations whose efforts fall into three focus areas: the fight against wildfires, protecting winters and wildland conservation. At launch, it generated considerable earned media, building awareness for the cause. While these initial efforts were impactful, the brand recognized the need to establish a deeper, more personal connection with consumers and inspire long-term engagement.
To achieve this next level of engagement, High West welcomed Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White as a brand ambassador. A California native and professional snowboarder who trained extensively in Utah for the Olympics, Shaun’s authentic connection to the Western region made him an ideal partner to champion the Protect the West cause. His passion for conservation, paired with his personal experiences witnessing the effects of climate change in the West, aligned perfectly with High West’s mission to safeguard these landscapes for future generations.
Through Shaun’s earned media interviews and social content, High West was able to bridge the gap between brand and audience and amplify the Protect the West message in a powerful way. By leveraging Shaun’s influence and credibility, the Protect the West message reached new audiences and stayed top-of-mind for consumers.
This 360 CSR campaign included a comprehensive approach across PR, social media, and sales to maximize the impact of the partnership and drive meaningful engagement. This holistic approach ensured the campaign resonated with consumers and generated meaningful impact, while driving deeper engagement and amplifying the Protect the West initiative’s message. Campaign touchpoints included a press and influencer trip to Park City with Shaun White, production day with Shaun White to produce social content, a press release announcing the partnership, where attendees experienced Park City’s beauty as well as High West’s downtown hospitality locations, the Saloon and the Nelson Cottage first hand while learning more about the cause, media interviews with Shaun White on behalf of High West to amplify Protect the West messaging, sales videos with Shaun White that were shared with key sales accounts and distributors, product seeding to Shaun’s network of friendlies and social content highlighting the partnership and the cause.
Through these concerted efforts, the Protect the West initiative has evolved into a robust, long-term campaign, underscoring High West’s commitment to preserving the Western U.S. and inspiring others to take action.
The Shaun White x High West Protect the West campaign achieved significant media success, resulting in 51 placements in top-tier outlets like Fox News, Forbes, and E! News, garnering over 33.3 million impressionsto date. Press release impressions totaled 229.1 million impressions. Paid efforts exceeded all benchmarks, with over 9 million total paid impressions and 3.8 million total paid reach. Organic engagement surpassed expectations with 53.3K engagements, an increase of 8,883% from the benchmark. The campaign's paid media performance also achieved a low average CPM of $1.63.
Additionally, Lippe Taylor conducted an online survey with 200 whiskey drinkers (household income of $100K+) prior to the campaign to establish baseline consumer perceptions of High West. A follow-up survey with 135 whiskey drinkers from the same demographic, who had seen Shaun White’s social post or initial media coverage, measured the campaign’s impact. The results showed a 25% increase in brand familiarity, a 26% rise in awareness of High West's charitable work through Protect the West, and a 20% lift in purchase intent. Additionally, aided awareness of High West Bourbon doubled, and there was an 11% increase in likelihood to recommend the brand.
Efforts were successful in increasing brand and campaign awareness amongst target consumers.
