818 Tequila Hosted Weddings for Its Followers Instead of Influencers
Kendall Jenner's brand gave away five sponsored weddings and bachelorette parties to followers of a 12,000-strong Instagram channel. The campaign gathered 13 million impressions and 34,000 engagements.
Five brides received sponsored bachelorette parties or weddings from 818, the tequila brand founded by Kendall Jenner. The campaign was timed to "818 Day" — August 18 — and became the finale of the "Best Summer Ever" summer campaign, which gathered more than 13 million impressions, 34,000 engagements and 3,000 applications to participate, according to the brand.
818 Tequila found participants through its Happy Hour broadcast channel on Instagram. Out of 12,000 subscribers, the brand selected those who were getting married or having a bachelorette party around August 18 (or 8/18 — the date plays on the brand's name). For two brides whose weddings matched the criteria, 818 brought in a custom bar with signature cocktails tailored to their celebration's theme, as well as hats and disposable cameras. The brand sent a photographer to the weddings — one who regularly works with Jenner. Three more brides received sponsored bachelorette parties with custom tote bags, toiletry kits and other gifts.
"It seems like all the internet's favorite influencers are getting married this year, and we're seeing so much bachelorette and wedding content in our feeds — and how brands are inserting themselves into these special days," said Jenny Brown, executive creative director of 818. "We really wanted to reward not creators, but our community."
In addition to tequila, jewelry brand Ring Concierge served as a campaign partner: it provided "bridesmaid proposal" kits — from merch to diamond earrings. Other brands also took part in the campaign. According to Brown, every company 818 approached supported the idea. One partner was the brand phe phe, co-founded by influencer Brigette Pheloung, who got married this summer.
"Everyone was really on board with the idea of rewarding community members instead of sending products to an influencer," Brown said. "I think it's a refreshing take on the wedding industry at the current moment."
The Happy Hour channel is the brand's key loyalty tool. Through it, 818 invites subscribers to events and giveaways. "We want it to be a place where every message has a purpose," Brown explains. "You're excited to see Happy Hour in your Instagram DMs because you know: something cool is happening, or there's something to win, or there's a way to interact directly with the brand — not unwanted spam."
The gift recipients were not obligated to post content, although many did so on their own. According to Brown, by embedding itself into already existing celebrations, the brand aimed to make the experience less staged. A particular emphasis was placed on activations outside major cities.
"It was nice to show up in unexpected places and make these people feel special and chosen," she noted.
Brown plans to continue rewarding customers with gifts for weddings, birthdays and other occasions. Due to legal restrictions, the gifts almost never contain alcohol. 818 tries to respond to everyone who reaches out with a bachelorette-or-wedding request, but a template letter, which is becoming increasingly common among brides, has almost no chance. "You can tell from a letter how much thought and care went into writing it," Brown says — "whether they're real fans or copy-paste."
The campaign continues 818's strategy of "democratizing the influencer experience": the brand is transferring privileges once available only to creators to its most loyal customers.
Source: Marketing Brew; Source: privacy.morningbrewinc.com
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