Tullamore D.E.W. is the most sold Irish whiskey in Sweden, and it has long been one of five best-selling whisky brands overall. However, in the past couple of years, while the Irish whiskey category has continued to expand, Tullamore D.E.W. sales volume has started to drop and hence lost market share.

Our assignment: Reverse Tullamore D.E.W.’s negative sales trend and bring the brand back to healthy growth.

As the category itself was doing fairly well, it was clear that something had to be done at a brand or product level, even though there were no new products, variants or other campaigns due to be released by Tullamore in Sweden in the foreseeable future. Clearly, the brand needs a fresh creative idea.

Key KPIs emphasized the three areas that were:

- Sales- and market position

- Consumer interest and consideration

- Targeted media attention

The idea is to develop and launch the World’s best beer to drink with Irish whiskey and do this as a collaboration between the distillers at Tullamore, and one of Sweden’s most prestigious micro-brewers, located in an ultra-hip Stockholm suburb. To add extra authenticity to the beer, Tullamore agreed to share a strain of their original yeast, for the first time ever in company history.

This was necessary in order to both punch through the competing buzz with a “newsy” story that created curiosity. Perhaps most important, the story had to be credible and exciting for both the highly marketing-literate and knowledgeable consumer target group, and the media and influencers that would be the key part of this campaign.

This was carried through in the selection of launch locations and events, and a selective choice and phasing of media, including both very local titles and highly targeted international ones.

Key insights:

1. Tullamore’s current consumers are older than the category average – and having actual implications on the business. The target group needed rejuvenation.

2. Younger consumers’ attention was far from whiskey, geared towards more hip and “authentic” beverages such natural wine and locally made craft beers.

3. Looking into Irish whiskey traditions, we learned that many Irish practiced an old habit of taking their whiskey together with a glass of beer.

The strategy was to introduce the brand to a younger, metropolitan audience, by creating a contemporary, local take on that genuine, Irish tradition of drinking beer with whiskey. Specifically, we were to develop and launch the World’s best beer to drink with Irish whisky.

After a study tour to Ireland, our micro-brewer-partner PangPang, armed with ideas, inspiration and the unique Tullamore yeast strain, came up with the perfect product: “PangPang & A Brew”, a Nitrogen Red Ale.

Implementation of “A DEW & A Brew”

1. Start off finding the right local microbrewery – Spring 2018

2. Take the PangPang brew master for an inspirational trip to Tullamore D.E.W.’s distillery in Ireland together with two journalists – May 2018

3. PangPang starts experimenting withTullamore yeast – Summer 2018

4. Beer available at Systembolaget* from September 20, 2018

5. Launch at Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival – September 28-30, October 5-7, 2018

6. Press event at Penny & Bill – October 3, 2018

7. Press send out – samples and digital press release – October 2018

8. Competition at stockholmbeer.se – October 2018

9. Beer sold exclusively at restaurant Penny & Bill in Stockholm until November 1, 2018

* Sweden’s alcohol retail monopoly.