In the ‘60s, Alka-Seltzer was an iconic brand that was very much part of the cultural zeitgeist. Famous for heartburn and acid indigestion relief, it also developed a cult following as a hangover remedy. Nearly 60 years later, the brand had fallen out of favor with consumers, especially younger generations. While the brand tried to capitalize on its equity in the hangover space through innovation, past launches proved unsuccessful.

With a need to win with the next generation and a natural opportunity in the hangover relief category, the brand launched Alka-Seltzer Hangover Relief. For this new product to be successful, we needed to get the next generation of party-goers to forgo the soda and greasy burger, electrolyte drinks, and thousands of other so-called “hangover cures,” and choose Alka-Seltzer Hangover Relief instead.

We all know how miserable checking out of a hotel can be when you’re hungover. Checkout time always comes too early before you’re able to fully recover. That’s why Alka-Seltzer has partnered with the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona to provide spring breakers with the ultimate hangover cure that many desperately need: The Hangover Late Checkout.

The Hangover Late Checkout experience included a later checkout time specifically tailored to the severity of a hangover, a breakfast menu designed to aid in recovery, an in-room spa experience with custom robes and face masks, and, of course, plenty of Alka-Seltzer Hangover Relief. There was no rushing to pack up and check out before being recovered. Instead, the guests enjoyed a few extra hours of much-needed rest and relaxation.

Our target is 21-29 years old, and they come from all walks of life. Although they’re now in the “real world,” they still very much approach life the way they did in their younger years. They live for the opportunity to go out. They believe in living big when it comes to life’s experiences — especially when it comes to drinking.

Our target thinks of Alka-Seltzer as a brand their parents or grandparents use. It’s the opposite of cool. To get them to reappraise the brand, we needed to show up for them in an unforgettable and truly meaningful way.

We implemented the Hangover Late Checkout during Spring Break season, the annual tradition of vacationing, drinking and partying among students in the US. Partnering with the Hotel Valley Ho, a trendy hotel at the epicenter of the Spring Break scene in Scottsdale, Arizona, we surprised guests who had too much to drink with a late checkout experience designed to actually help them recover from their hangover.

The Hangover Late Checkout included a later checkout time specifically tailored to the severity of a guest’s hangover, a breakfast menu designed to aid in recovery, an in-room spa experience with custom robes and face masks, and, of course, plenty of Alka-Seltzer Hangover Relief. There was no rushing to pack up and check out before being recovered. Instead, guests got to enjoy a few extra hours of much-needed rest and relaxation.

The week following the activation:

- Hangover Relief sales grew 9% v. prior 4 week weekly average

- Alka-Seltzer grew its effervescent business by 7%, driven fully by Hangover Relief

• 285% increase in social page engagements

• 700% increase in social post shares

• 100% increase in social post saves

• Longform has a 97.2% video play rate on social

• Longform has 1.25+ million video plays in the first week

• Longform has a 48% higher engagement rate compared to other product creative running during same time period

• Web-page views in the week following the video posting went up 275.2%

• Visitors to the website went up 314%

• 92.7% of visitors to the site were new visitors helping us achieve our goal of attracting new users

• 2.7M impressions in first 7 days

• Teasers were the top performing posts in April across all social channels