The perception of branded entertainment has evolved significantly in recent years in the context of cultural marketing. Innovative brands are increasingly going beyond traditional advertising to reach consumers through content and experiences.

Grolsch and VICE decided to pursue a branded entertainment program to maximise the value of earned media due to budget limitation of the Grolsch brand versus its competitors in the cultural space (e.g. Stella Artois’ film initiative) due to heavy regulations in alcoholic drinks advertising and einhergehend the inconsistent legal situation in the participating key Grolsch markets - Canada/US, Russia and Poland.

The multi-layered branded entertainment program allowed for enough flexibility to be activated locally. The campaign was mainly PR-driven, supported by strong digital amplification on Grolsch platforms (GFW.com and social media) and 3rd party sites. Additionally, Grolsch Film Works and The Fourth Dimension provided the local markets with the opportunity to activate experientially (screenings!) and implement the product despite strict advertising regulations.

Grolsch Film Works and its hero asset the Fourth Dimension are now being used internally at SAB Miller as shining examples and case studies for not only a successful branded content initiative, but successful brand marketing.

VICE partnered with Grolsch to launch Grolsch Film Works (GFW), a global development and production project that celebrates and supports independent film. 

VICE's solution to the challenge of re-igniting the Grolsch brand in contemporary culture and engaging a global audience of film fans is an ongoing digital film program, evolving around content creation and written independent film news - providing value to the community on an ongoing basis. 

GFW's first stab in content creation was an originally conceived full feature film, commissioned and produced by Grolsch Film Works and VICE. GFW has built a genuine online community by establishing its fully owned editorial platform, as well as continuing to release original short films across the web, running live development workshops.

GFW is intended as a long-term initiative to build credibility and acclaim in the independent film world, and so generate wider awareness, engagement, and longevity for the brand.

At the heart of the program launch was the production, distribution and promotion of the full feature film, as well as the digital launch of the GFW editorial platform. 

The film featured talent from 3 key Grolsch markets (Russia, Poland and the USA) to drive local media pick up, and was activated through official submissions and screenings at international (San Francisco, New York, etc.) and local film festivals (Krakow, Moscow). Additionally, all screenings have been activated through PR and accompanying after parties - providing Grolsch with additional consumer touch points and sampling opportunities. 

Online, the dedicated editorial platform GrolschFilmWorks.com tracked each phase of the program, providing ongoing information and editorial content, which was released on the website and distributed through editorial partner sites (e.g. Indiewire). Throughout the program launch, quality traffic was driven to the program via ongoing content syndication and a dedicated PR push around the film release. 

The Grolsch Film Works program was launched through an initial PR push around the feature film announcement. Selected media owners were given a dogmatic creative brief the filmmakers based their scripts on to drive initial interest. After the film trailer release, a second PR push focused on the film’s festival premieres. We subsequently released a stream of behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with filmmakers and other peripheral content on GFW.com and syndication partners to keep excitement and interest high. Ultimately, The Fourth Dimension was released on YouTube’s film channel, supported through a highly targeted media push across VICE platforms.

The Grolsch Film Works program exceeded all expectations, creating huge earned media value with limited media and production investment.

The program’s premium asset ‘The Fourth Dimension’ has been screened at 30+ acclaimed and established film festivals across the world (including Tribeca, San Francisco, Sitges and Moscow Film Festivals), amassing a huge amount of on- and offline press. The festival-led campaign launch generated vast earned media, reaching a mass audience through titles such as Yahoo, MSN, Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Zimbo, and independent film fans through MTV Film, Complex, Indiewire, Filmmaker and more. The film was also shown during prime time on Sky Indie in the UK. The feature release of ‘The Fourth Dimension’ on YouTube’s film channel led to more than 570,000 video views.

Grolsch Film Works editorial platform successfully established the program as a genuine voice in independent film. In the first year since inception, GFW.com has amassed more than 1m UVs, and its content has been syndicated by international independent film properties and blogs.

Intended to be a program to engage independent film fans and influencers, Grolsch Film Work’s initial success and scale now sees the program leverage its mass appeal in its second year.