Read on to Learn How
With a captivating honey-amber appearance, Hell House unleashes aromas of honeydew, sorbet, butterscotch, and allspice. The palate reveals cotton candy sweetness and floral hints of rose and lavender. Its oak-driven finish leaves a sweet and spicy lingering allure. Crafted for all to, experience Hell House Whiskey!
Project Name: Launching Hell House Whiskey
Client: DS Creative Agency
Term: March 2023 – September 2023
Generate a Go-To-Market launch campaign for Hell House Whiskey
Objectives:
The creative team had an ad-buying budget, and the production team had to produce launch assets; we needed to establish how to differentiate the budget and produce a shot list that would aid effective storytelling but also yield high-performing digital advertisements.
We had to tell the origins story to establish credibility from there we had to test what elements of the product had the highest pull through on the shelf. We ended up tabling a significant number of shoots to prioritize product focus and a scalable number of e-commerce-driven deliverables.
Positioning the product as a spirit deeply rooted with the band, we were able to position the “spirit” as something worth passing down for generations.
We established a social media distribution strategy to maximize reach from the band, PR, and product education to establish who we are, what we do, and why we do it.
Re-prioritizing the production schedule, re-writing scripts to focus more on the product, distributing the product to align with PR outreach, and aligning live activation with concerts and events.
Time was of the essence, and we had a limited number of products (the rest were in production). We had to educate consumers on the value of the product and the origin story while abiding by alcohol regulations on the internet, not just to establish a brand story but also to position a product.
"Our biggest problem was Ad campaign optimization. Teddy helped us uncover more weaknesses and pain points in our operation that we wouldn't have seen otherwise."
Sold out of product twice within the first two launch stages of the Go-To-Market strategy. We more than doubled our sales goals.
The product now has dedicated repeat buyers and was able to expand distribution into Total Wine within the first year of launch.
DS Creative team is responsible for all production, activation, and distribution of material.
The Hell House Whiskey launch demonstrated the importance of adaptability, storytelling, and targeted focus in marketing strategy. We significantly enhanced audience engagement and online sales by embracing the brand’s legacy story, refining our focus to the most appealing product elements, and prioritizing an e-commerce approach. A multi-channel distribution strategy, combined with creative navigation of regulatory constraints, expanded our reach and solidified the brand’s market position.
The Hell House Whiskey campaign showcased the effectiveness of narrative differentiation and a robust digital strategy in outperforming sales goals and penetrating major retail markets. Our focused approach on consumer loyalty through direct engagement and a strategic mailing list minimized our dependency on paying to find our audience, proving the value of leveraging existing focus groups. The collective efforts of the DS Creative team across various phases underscored the impact of teamwork in achieving significant market success and establishing a strong digital footprint, reinforcing the importance of visual storytelling in modern marketing.
