Matthew Henebery escaped the Irish Potato Famine of 1849 and migrated to the U.S.A., where he opened his very own distillery. It was not until 2012 that the family learned about their rich history and decided to make a leap of faith and resurrect the family name — Henebery Whiskey.
A few years later, the Henebery family has its very own distillery in Vista, CA where they are able to tell their story, teach their history, and make amazing spirits all under one roof.
The Health Check
The following are a few key findings from the conducted Health Check:
- Henebery is doing a lot right. With the exception of Twitter lagging behind, the channels feature a good amount of engaging content. But nothing on social really shines. But what the brand really needs is a breakout memorable visual; a video anchoring a campaign that introduces Henebery in a fresh and compelling way to the community.
- The best posts are about the product and people.
- Henebery has a small community of local residents in Southern California that love the brand. That love, so far, is contained to Henebery’s own channels. Outside of those, mention volume is lacking.
- There is a pattern among competitors: product, good times, and giving back ring true across audiences. It falls to the brands to create something head and shoulders above the rest to really garner awareness, interest, trust, and purchases.
Opportunity
84% of the 159 reviews were 5 out of 5. Audiences who interact with the brand overwhelmingly love it!
The community is primed. The story is there. The next step is a bold campaign idea.
The Connection Plan
Goal: Create strong brand awareness and affinity through social media content, in order to drive sales for Henebery Whiskey in the local SoCal community.
Strategy Statement: Effectively communicate Henebery’s history, company culture, and superior product to local SoCal whiskey lovers, through social media content that promotes website traffic and sales.
Audience: Whiskey drinkers living in SoCal (San Diego metropolitan area) who love craft distilleries and are attracted to businesses that give back to communities.
The community that gathers around shared craft distillery whiskey experiences, craves belonging, and they wish for brands they support to uplift causes that matter. Henebery’s historic journey and present-day business culture can inspire audiences and make them proud to buy Henebery.