Introducing the fantabulous Hendrick’s Hypnagoggles, a beautifully crafted DM kit that puts a Hendrick’s style twist on the traditional Google Cardboard. It works with a smartphone to entertain gin lovers with a series of audio treatments while enjoying a Hendrick’s and Tonic. The audio was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s research into Hypnagogia – a state of mind between the waking world and the dream world; a state which ignited his imagination. We wanted to bring that same incredible experience to our gin lovers.

Each track was phonically crafted to ease the wearer into a hypnagogic state using a method similar to hypnosis. It took people on a wondrous journey through their imaginations, enhanced by immersive binaural sounds. While the participant was listening to the tracks, the goggles played animations, giving the participant’s drinking acquaintance a bizarre window into their mind, turning this into a highly unusual and sociable experience.

Hendrick’s Gin isn’t for everyone, so we wanted to grow the brand by sparking curiosity in the right people. To do this we selected the 500 most influential individuals within our target audience in the UK, driven through our media campaign. The 500’s online influence was determined via their Klout score.

The media campaign ran for two weeks in October 2015. From the data collected, we sent Hypnagoggles to gin devotees in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales throughout November. This was packaged in-agency and posted by hand.

As an advocacy piece, the Hypnagoggles have not been measured against sales. We do know, however, that the Hypnagoggles delighted ginthusiasts up and down the country.

Upon receiving the Hypnagoggles, fans tweeted and Instagrammed pictures of their experience, showing the brand love with sentiments like “I’ve had a gintastic time - @AimeeSmith1980’ and ‘absolutely LOVING our Hypnagoggles- @beccithomson’. Blogger, Shell Robshaw-Brian wrote a 600 word post on how the Hypnagoggles converted her to Hendrick’s: ‘It’s left me feeling like Hendricks Gin gets me and more importantly, like it’s the most natural brand choice for me’. Those who experienced our wondrous Hypnagoggles showed that they were turning from ordinary gin drinkers into dedicated Hendrick’s lovers.