Social Impact

Bourbon Cares

Mission:

Introduce 30,000 new consumers to Kentucky Bourbon Trail brands, while providing a new revenue vertical for the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust to protect critical Kentucky wildlands.

Strategy:

Design an engaging experiential marketing activation that partners bourbon brands with touring bands inside the Forecastle Festival. Design a “turn-of-the-century rickhouse meets prohibition-era speakeasy” and invite bands to sample single-barrel selections from their favorite brands. Pair Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, Old Forester, Heaven Hill and Wild Turkey with artists like Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, Spoon, and more. Invite artists to serve drinks to their biggest fans, with community investment proceeds going to protect critical watersheds and old-growth forests.

Results:

The participating brands received a powerful PR, corporate social responsibility and social impact marketing partnership that yielded new consumers and strong retail sales at no cost, other than allocating a single-barrel to the program (which was paid for by the concessionaire). Kentucky Natural Lands Trust raised thousands to protect critical watersheds and wildlands corridors. For the festival, an impactful experiential marketing activation and community giveback was born, which grew from 900 to 15,000 square ft. The sheer volume of new consumers it attracted led Forecastle to be recognized as “Bourbon’s Most Important Festival” by Wall Street Journal best-selling author Fred Minnick.

Sierra Nevada

Mission:

Inspired by the Sierra Nevada mountain range, craft a new product line that protects the world’s most breathtaking environments.

Strategy:

Pair Sierra Nevada with The Forecastle Foundation for a program that delivers a strong community investment and corporate social responsibility message. Under the direction of Steve Grossman (brother of Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman) craft a limited-edition, community giveback expression with a powerful corporate philanthropy arm. Prior to product launch, design a on and off-premise PR, cause marketing and retail strategy to build anticipation and maximize its social impact. Following the campaign, debut the product before 400 media outlets and 75,000 fans at Forecastle Festival - its unique, collaborative story told at each POS location.

Results:

A flagship festival product is born, The Close Call Kolsch, and social Impact marketing campaign that reaches new consumers and rewards Sierra Nevada and key retail partners with exclusive product, earned media, sales and memorable on-site festival engagements. For the Forecastle Foundation, the social impact partnership helped raise thousands to protect critical wildlife corridors from Argentina to Indonesia, Belize to Florida.

Whole Foods & Heine Brothers

Mission:

Strategy:

Pair national retailer Whole Foods with local coffee purveyor Heine Brothers on a unique, proprietary, community giveback blend titled “Kentucky Dream.” Leverage Heine Brother’s extensive Central American grower relationships while partnering with Whole Foods’ corporate social responsibility, cause marketing and corporate philanthropy team. Maximum awareness through a targeted PR and social impact marketing campaign across retail and non-profit channels to share the story and reach new consumers in the hypercompetitive coffee and grocery segments

Results:

Thousands of new consumers patronized Whole Foods following a press conference announcing the strategically-aligned nonprofit partnership and local/global focus. For independent coffee purveyor Heine Brothers, the cause marketing campaign delivered a heightened level of consumer engagement, reinforcing its commitment to the communities in which it operates, while keeping its company fresh and relevant, and loyal consumers invigorated. For the Forecastle Foundation, a new revenue vertical to protect Kentucky’s Green River and Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor.