Glendalough’s St Patrick’s Day worked because Mangrove chose venues that already knew how to handle a premium spirit.
The background
Glendalough Whiskey – a true and honest taste of Ireland. A spirit imbued with tradition through a precise and dedicated programme of ageing, concocted by the distillery’s master team. Given the increasing momentum and appreciation for old-fashioned Irish hospitality and fare at the moment, we decided that it just wouldn’t be St Patrick’s Day without getting this incredible liquid onto revelers’ lips – nationwide.
The concept
From across 37 national accounts pouring Glendalough on St Patrick’s Day, four worked alongside Mangrove’s team to each deliver an Irish experience that was unique to them. In London, Manchester and Glasgow, the venues planned their own celebrations, with Glendalough at the very heart.
The Edition Hotel, London
Jonbers’ Irish Revue was the curious title of The Edition’s Paddy’s Day activity. Hosted by esteemed Irish Drag Race alumni, Jonbers Blonde, guests enjoyed a three-course lunch and show celebrating the best of Irish cuisine and culture, including drag performances, poetry, a Sinead O’Connor sing-along, and traditional Irish Dancing troupe. Of course all served to the sound of glasses clinking, filled with delicious Glendalough Irish Whiskey Cocktails.
The George, London
At The George in Fitzrovia, a weekend of festivities was planned and delivered. It included live Irish music sets, a riotous Irish pub quiz hosted by Comedian Peter Flanagan, a live stream of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and the Six Nations finals which will saw Ireland take on Italy (even better – they won!).
Irish fare like chicken fillet rolls and native oysters were served up alongside the bar’s hallmark hot drink – the Glendalough Irish Coffee, with the added sparkle of a homemade Guinness reduction. A true signature serve.
Salmon of Knowledge, Manchester
In Manchester, the whiskey-fueled revelry was focused on Salmon of Knowledge – a bustling Irish Bar with live sports, a welcoming setting, and an exceptional back bar. On Paddy’s Day itself, guests enjoyed live music all day, Glendalough Irish Coffees from the ‘whiskey confessional’, and an evening of toe-tapping traditional music.
Sebb’s, Glasgow
Simple – but effective. That’s exactly what Sebb’s delivers time and time again – quality and simplicity. And it was the same for St Patrick’s Day. The popular underground night-spot (owned by Michelin BIB award winning Scoop Restaurants) delivered its old-fashioned hospitality, weekend live music sets, with a casual but engaging nod to the festivities using Glendalough.
A dose of competition
At Mangrove we’re all about getting liquids on lips, and so across the three English venues we offered stock support to each, so that they could deliver 100 free Glendalough Irish Coffees to lucky customers, on a first-come, first-served basis. In Scotland, where the laws are tighter, you can’t give away free booze. So, we supported a less catchy, but no-less effective, £5 Glendalough Irish Coffee serve.
The finer detail
Venue Selection
Working with the right partner venues was absolutely vital to the success of the activation. Our aim was to grow the thread between premium distribution in the on-trade and Irish Whiskey. To show that this spirit sits proudly amongst premium Scotch and should be a luxurious spirit of choice for the adventurous drinker. The London Edition, The George, Salmon of Knowledge, and Sebb’s are all experts in their craft; they recognise quality liquids and know how to treat them – and that was the key to making this so special.
Challenge of the season
There’s no doubt whatsoever that trying to promote an Irish spirit on Paddy’s Day came with an element of risk, with a whole host of Irish brands looking to top up glasses aplenty across the weekend. That’s why we had to be extra careful with our delivery; be creative, execute perfectly and in good time, and win the hearts and minds of the bar teams and on-trade professionals pouring from the bottle. Each of our partners in London, Manchester, and Glasgow, had a deep appreciation of the spirit which made our job even easier.
A PR dream
God bless the Irish! Glendalough and our partner venues were a match made in heaven for the UK’s spirits media! Through the combined efforts of Mangrove and each venue’s PR team, we secured over 50 pieces of print, digital, and social coverage.
Mangrove’s own PR team secured hard-hitting names like The Spirits Business, and The London News. And the PR machines behind The George and the London Edition Hotel racked up consumer-led coverage in GQ, Forbes, and Conde Nast Traveller. The resulting coverage reaffirmed the aim behind the activation – to position Glendalough as a premium, luxurious drink, and these titles aligned perfectly with that aim.
The results
The best probable outcome from an activation is to see it generate buzz across venues, which evolve into stock requests from new partners – and that’s exactly what was achieved with the St Patrick’s Day activation.
The second-best outcome is to win an award for your activation. And the incredible Team from Mangrove managed that too – securing the global incentive activation award from Mark Anthony Brands. The prize is a delightful VIP foraging trip and a visit to Dublin which will be attended by some of the team.
Reach and engagement across press and social was incredible – all affirming the position of Glendalough as the premium choice of Irish whiskeys and raising that vital awareness – not just with trade – but with consumers too, thanks to fantastic partnership working with the hosting venues.
What’s next
Plans for the coming year are currently under wraps – but we can reveal that we will be building upon the incredible awareness raised by positioning the brand as a stand out Irish whiskey and top pick for lovers of the spirit!
