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White Claw Hard Seltzer

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THE SCOPE

When the parent brand, Mark Anthony Brands (known for Mike’s Hard Lemonade) launched White Claw Hard Seltzer, the spiked sparkling seltzer category was a niche regional category. Without cannibalizing their existing product offering, the parent company developed a truly innovative product for the active, health-conscious consumer who was looking for a flavored adult-beverage alternative to light beer. It was our job to bring the product to market.

  • Roles

    Research

    Discovery & Strategy

    Branding

    Communications

    Creative Direction

    Production

  • Deliverables

    Marketing & Branding Strategy

    Branding & Art Direction

    Copywriting & Brand Voice

    Videography & Photography

    Digital Presence

    Website Design & Development

    Social Media Strategy

    Brand Launch

  • Client

    Mark Anthony Brands (White Claw Hard Seltzer)

  • Company Type

    B2C / B2B

    Adult Beverage/RTD Beverage

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Squid

THE CHALLENGE

Prior to our work with White Claw, the spiked sparkling seltzer segment within the flavored malt beverage category had yet to be established beyond regional distribution. We needed to broaden consumer awareness of the category through education while focusing specifically on White Claw brand and its attributes and benefits.

THE SOLUTION

Our first goal was to align health-conscious consumers with White Claw brand attributes, creating a gender-neutral brand that set the standard in the better-for-you adult beverage category. Secondly, we needed to build brand awareness using social media, digital channels, earned media, events, and retail outlet point of sale.

"WHITE CLAW BROKE ALL THE LAWS OF BOOZE MARKETING TO WIN THE HARD SELTZER WAR" - FAST COMPANY

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BRAND LAUNCH CAMPAIGN

  • CREATIVE

    Because of the age and lifestyle of our target audience, we used the voices of the health-conscious community to tell their authentic stories on how they relate to the brand.

  • WEBSITE

    We designed and built the site to educate consumers on the better-for-you category while focusing on the White Claw brand attributes using animations for all devices to pique interest and keep users engaged. As brand awareness grew and matured, the site evolved to be more comprehensive by accounting for new partnerships, activations, and stories.

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CAMPAIGN (CONT.)

  • SEO & SEM

    Before product launch, three unique blogs were created to provide definition and relevance to the White Claw name and differentiate it from search engine clutter. Each blog was tailored with SEO tactics to help cultivate organic search rankings. They were supplemented with a search engine marketing “buy” which together drove traffic to the new White Claw site.

  • SOCIAL MEDIA

    Based on our target audiences, appropriate social channels were chosen to engage consumers and to showcase products in simple settings and highlight attributes.

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Squid

  • RETAIL & SHOPPER MARKETING

    Point of sale was designed to support social media and to quickly communicate product attributes providing important on-shelf and in-store placement versatility across multiple areas: spirits, fresh ingredients, and health-food alternatives.

  • BRAND WORK

    Responding to the data on how consumers were reacting to the initial brand strategy, we designed strict guidelines to take ownership of black and white, active lifestyle imagery to help build the brand and launch product extensions and partnerships.

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RESULTS

  • FIRST FEW MONTHS

    With NO paid media support, the website saw over 15,000 unique visitors in the first three weeks of product launch with over two minutes of site engagement and the lowest bounce rate in the portfolio. It gained national distribution in 4 weeks with the largest retailers in the country (Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Albertsons). The brand saw 300+% YOY increases for the first 3 years of launch and became a cultural phenomenon as well as the category leader in the better-for-you adult beverage space. The brand continues to grow as it expands outside of the US to Canada, the EU, and Asia.

  • CONTINUED GROWTH

    As the hard seltzer market began to see new entrants and become more defined, White Claw Hard Seltzer saw 300%+ growth in the first 3 years, making them the number one hard seltzer with almost 60% market share. Since the successful launch, we continue to support White Claw. We have supported the launch of new flavors and products, defined brand strategy, and executed creative with the bold use of black and white and among other brand initiatives that maintain Mark Anthony Brands as the leader in the hard seltzer category.

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Squid just gets it. With their extremely versatile capabilities, they can really bring any brand to life.

—Dan, marketing @ mark anthony brands

  • Credits: The Team

    Creative Director: Brent Marmo

    Strategic Planning Director: Miles Marmo

    Art Director and Designer: Mike Berg

    Development: Charlie Hield

  • Partners

    Video Production: Don't Blink TV

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