Pernod Ricard USA’s Jameson brand is trying to bring holiday cheer to a challenging year with a contest giving away nine-foot tall trees made out of 130 empty Jameson bottles.
The brand is giving away seven of these limited-edition Jameson Whiskey Trees to the winners of the digital contest. “The limited-edition Jameson Whiskey Trees are our way of helping fans make their holidays feel legendary at the end of an unusual year,” said Angelica Scibilio, Brand Director of Jameson. “Made from 130 empty Jameson bottles that light up brighter than any yule log fire, the Jameson Whiskey Tree is the perfect backdrop for sharing a drink with close friends and family this holiday season, even if virtually.”
Interested, of-age consumers can visit a branded contest microsite to share why they are willing to replace a traditional Christmas tree with one made of whiskey bottles in 200 words or less to enter the contest. “Our fans are incredibly passionate about the Jameson brand and product and we love hearing from them,” Scibilio continues. “The storytelling element of the contest is another way for fans to directly engage with us, and we’ve loved seeing their excitement around the Jameson Whiskey Trees.”
Jameson has seen steady sales this year, even as the pandemic shut down bars across the globe during St. Patrick’s Day –a big event for the Irish whiskey– and Duty Free stores remained empty of travelers. While Pernod Ricard experienced a 64% drop in global travel retail sales during fiscal Q1 2021, as travelers continue to stay home, the company attributed stability to the Strategic International Brands category to the resilience of Jameson.
Since the pandemic set in, Jameson has relied on virtual happy hours, cocktail classes and live music on its Instagram Live channel to keep its brand in front of audiences even as they were staying home.
“We’ve always recognized the importance of making it seamless for consumers to enjoy their favorite Jameson cocktails at home, from our library of recipes that can be made easily from ingredients sourced right in their pantries,” says Scibilio. “This has allowed us to continue to demonstrate how Jameson’s portfolio can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. As the category continues to shift in response to the pandemic we also have focused on our e-commerce strategy to enable consumers to ship their favorite Jameson product conveniently to their door.”
“Additionally, innovation is a constant drum beat of our growth strategy,” Scibilio continues. Earlier this year, the company debuted Jameson Cold Brew, a coffee meets whiskey product, that has been drawing in new whiskey drinkers to the category and sparking new whiskey occasions, Scibilio says.
The tree bottle campaign contest is part of the brand’s larger “Legendary Tales” campaign and kicks off as the holiday celebration season is around the corner with Thanksgiving a week away. While this year’s celebrations are likely to be more low key this year –Thanksgiving travel is expected to be down 10% over last year according to AAA – people are still planning to celebrate the holidays with their households or through small socially distanced gatherings with close friends, as well as through video chats and Zoom calls.
This campaign gives Jameson an Instagramable branded tree that would make a great backdrop for any Zoom call and will likely generate chatter on social media –first when people share their entries and second, when the winners are selected and the trees are delivered during the first week of December.
“This contest is for anyone 21+ in the continental U.S. who feels their home is in need of extra holiday cheer this year and wants to come together virtually or safely with their quarantine pod of friends and family over a shared love of whiskey and legendary experiences,” said Scibilio.
The winners will also get a gift card good for a bottle of Jameson to drink by their tree, an image the brand is hoping that others will also partake in.
“When it comes to the holidays, Jameson has always played a central role in fostering celebratory moments and connections,” Scibilio concluded. “While this year things look a little different, the ‘Legendary Tales’ campaign is designed to deliver a laugh while encouraging friends and family to create their own tales this holiday season, whether that’s around a nearly nine foot tree made completely out of Jameson bottles, or trying one of our smooth holiday whiskey cocktail recipes at home. Our aim is to keep our fans inspired and show them that even during an unusual year, they can still find ways to make it feel special.”
