Background
Devil’s Cut is a revolutionary new offering from the innovators at Beam Suntory. A distinctly bold bourbon, with rich oak flavors that have been unleashed from deep inside the barrel. Its story of origin is an incredible tale, locked deep within the white oak barrel it came from.
Our campaign played on the symbolic elements of the Devil’s Cut process story, encouraging our audience to extract hidden symbols from display advertising, social posts, posters, Youtube clips and mysterious users on Facebook. Each symbol represented a unique entry into a major prize draw, while completionists were rewarded with the possibility of winning up to six sweet freebies. Some symbols hid in plain sight, others demanded the user’s full attention while a couple more followed players around.
40%
Sales increase during
and after the campaign
Facebook - The Social Frontline
Being the largest social media platform and still the most appropriate for most brands to connect with their consumers, Facebook was our main channel of communication in this campaign. Jim Beam is a down to earth brand and doesn’t generally indulge in mystery, but with Devil’s Cut in charge for a few weeks we introduced just the right amount of ambiguity. A tight content plan was devised, first releasing a “free” social symbol, then releasing hints as to symbols’ locations. Eventually we released more concrete help and even a symbol or two, keeping the campaign accessible all throughout the last weeks.
Mystery Profile
The sneakiest of the symbols was guarded by The Devil’s Advocate, a secret Facebook fan page that interacted with users on the Jim Beam Facebook page when summoned.
YouTube Hidden Frame
Another sneaky symbol was spliced into the YouTube video of the TV commercial featuring Mila Kunis. A nearly subliminal annotated frame linked directly into the microsite to collect the rewards.
The Facebook post that kicked off the campaign had over 1,800 interactions and reached over 87,000 people.
Banner Quest
Two symbols were hidden in inconspicuous web banners that were unlocked on roll-over. The first one manifested to users that had visited the microsite before, the second, rarest one of all, appeared only after the first banner was collected.
The Physical World
The last symbol was hidden in a poster on display across New Zealand’s largest cities. Its location was first disclosed in a Jim Beam Facebook post, and the corresponding symbol was eventually released online for fans all over the country to redeem.
9,843
Symbols collected
The Microsite was all about a super simple sign-up process and campaign clarity, a hub for the Extract More campaign. It also submerged users in the brand’s mystique, enticing them into learning more about the unique process behind Devil’s Cut - if the player proved themselves worthy.
