J&B, a brand built on the foundation of inclusivity, sought to reconnect with consumers by taking an active role in society. In 2021, the brand made a pivotal decision to reposition itself and craft a new vision: "To become the world's most inclusive brand."

With the 'My Big Night Out' cause, J&B aimed to increase visibility for a group that often felt silenced and left out of celebrations – people with disabilities. The approach focused on giving voice to this community and working on solutions to eliminate barriers hindering their participation in nightlife.

A meaningful cause that was seen to be powerful enough to enlist media partners, not as channels but as collaborators.

On the topic of inclusion, people with disabilities are the most underserved group. A remarkable 20.5% of Spanish households have at least one disabled person.

Our study with GFK Spain revealed that 72.4% of people with disabilities feel nightlife is not adapted for them.

The scale of this opened up the opportunity for a different approach to marketing.

Our idea was to use this insight, not for a campaign, but for a cause.

To enlist media not as channels but as collaborators.

We launched the 'My Big Night Out' cause – a multi-channel media marketing programme to break the taboo surrounding disability and nightlife. Central to which was the use of the iconic Spanish anthem called 'My Big Night Out' - which helped this enter the psyche of the nation.

Supported with an outreach program to venues to help increase levels of accessibility.

The strategy and the idea are closely linked.

The essence of the strategy was simple: Turn the insight into a cause in order to enlist media owners on a grand scale, enabling us to extend the impact beyond anything achievable with the allocated budget.

Achieving two aims:

1. Building awareness: A thought-provoking marketing campaign to raise public awareness.

2. Improving the physical experience: A training program for hospitality staff to create more inclusive and accessible venues.

This 'My Big Night Out' cause enabled J&B to enlist the support of media partners to secure added-value exposure. It was activated before World Disabilities Day to create a time-based focus for collaborator sign-up ('to get on board').

Resulting in a broad range of channels and formats, with digital and social media channels used to encourage engagement, interaction, and conversation.

J&B enlisted 21 media groups as participants in the initiative.

To create the content, we collaborated with five content creators from the disability community, filming them preparing for and experiencing their big night out.

Cut into content for TV and cinema spots – showcasing a full-length film, expanding the reach across a range of digital platforms.

To ensure accessibility, J&B worked with RedBee to incorporate text, sign language, and audio description in all assets.

To improve physical experiences J&B partnered with Ilunion to launch an online training program accessible through the free Diageo Bar Academy platform, raising awareness among hospitality staff about the needs of people with disabilities, and collaborated with Google to encourage venues to provide accessibility information on Google Maps forms, improving access to quality information for future searchers.

The 'My Big Night Out' cause achieved significant visibility for the cause - across all media channels, with over 21 partners, 30 million impressions, and a 28% reach.

Our message of inclusivity reached more than 12 million unique people and achieved an 18% VTR (100%) compared to the Diageo Spain benchmark of 0.82%.

On social media, the cause garnered 7.5 million interactions. The earned media effect resulted in 130 organic pieces within two weeks, including features in mainstream titles such as Vanity Fair and Elle. The content from our creators achieved a View Rate increase of +132%, in some cases +540% VR, with 100% positive sentiment.

The cause also impacted the brand – lifting J&B's market share by +7%. Explained by the high level of recall at 69.3%, significantly above the 53% benchmark.