When Mike's Hard Lemonade decided that it needed to catch people's attention, it knew that boring TV ads and newspaper coupons weren't going to cut it. It would need to do something noticeable – and do it in a way that made people care that it had done so. That's why they decided to create an experiential marketing campaign like none other before. How did they do it?...

The first thing they kept in mind was the desired brand image. Mike's Hard Lemonade is an alcoholic brand, but it's beverages are quite different from standard beers and other alternatives. This naturally leads to positioning the brand as new, young, and different. Now, they just needed to think of how to draw a large audience and make sure that the Mike's name stayed with them.

They decided that the best way to do this would be to break a fun world record. The Guinness Book record for: "Most Candles on a Cake," was chosen as the target. Next, they needed to get people interested enough to not only spread the message, but directly partake in the history-making event.

Social Media

Social media fans have become immune to most companies' endless requests for likes and retweets. Mike's Hard Lemonade needed a way to get them to truly want to like their page. They hit on tying the number of likes to the number of candles on the cake, with each like resulting in the addition of a candle. The result? The cake ended up with 51,151 candles crammed across its entire top surface.

The Movie

The idea of putting 51,151 candles on a cake naturally leaves people with plenty of questions. How will they fit? Will they be lit? If so, how? They decided to answer them with an exciting short film that uses exciting camera angles and zooms to capture all of the critical points.

For those who watch the movie, the answer to the first question comes fast. The candles all fit because the cake is huge. Then, people are drawn further into the experience as they get to see that the candles are indeed lit – with torches! After more exciting key scenes, the finale makes every viewer cheer: The Guinness judge proclaims the record beaten!

Crafting experiential marketing campaigns that work as well as this one requires skill, experience, and plenty of creativity and verve. Contact us the next time you want to make sure that your brand stands out, not just for the presence of its advertising, but for its ability to get people to care about it.

Remember that experiential marketing doesn't just take place online and in movies. The people who partake in person need an unforgettable place to participate. Call us to reserve our venue, SoHo Studios, to make sure that everyone loves being a part of your event!