Brand Experience and Activation > Excellence in Brand Experience
DDB LATIN PUERTO RICO / LA H / 2024
Awards:
Overview
Credits
Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?
The introduction of a restrictive law in the city of San Juan threatened not only the cultural heartbeat of Puerto Rico but also the livelihood of its bar scene, which was critical to the local economy and a significant contributor to beer sales. In response, La H beer crafted a first-of-its-kind brand experience with LoopHotel—an innovative, risky, and fun activation that smartly leveraged a legal loophole.
More than activation, LoopHotel is a uniquely immersive brand experience, a defiant act of civil disobedience that stood up for local culture and, above all, a party for the ages.
Please provide any cultural context that would help the Jury understand any cultural, national or regional nuances applicable to this work.
In Puerto Rico, nightlife isn’t just entertainment; it's a vital social fabric, fostering connections, culture, and economic activity. The law to halt alcohol sales after 1 a.m. was perceived not merely as an imposition but as an assault on 'third places'—essential for communal life and resilience. These venues are arenas of expression where locals unwind and forge memories through dance and dialogue, vital during past crises like governmental protests and natural disasters.
Thus, the law didn’t just disrupt nightlife; it threatened the essence of Puerto Rican identity and communal well-being.
La H's initiative was timely, directly addressing this cultural crisis and aligning perfectly with the brand's image as a defender of local traditions and advocate for the nightlife economy.
Background
SITUATION: In November 2023 the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital city, imposed a ban on alcohol sales after 1 a.m., cutting into the time when Puerto Ricans are typically just starting their night. Not only is this law an affront to local culture and nightlife, it's bad for bar owners and bad for our brand. Over 35% of La H's sales come from on-premise establishments such as bars, which reported a dramatic 50% drop in sales after the law's passage.
BRIEF: Create a movement to protest the law in the name of local nightlife culture and business owners affected by the mayor's curfew.
OBJECTIVE: Defy the mayor's unpopular and unjust curfew and position La H as the champion of local nightlife, local bars, and late-night fun.
Describe the creative idea
Our brand identified a loophole in the law: only hotels were allowed to sell and serve alcohol after 1 a.m. Our goal was clear: exploit this vulnerability to create buzz towards overturning the regulation. Recognizing the exemption for hotels, we set out to create our own hotel to bypass the government's own ruling, so we partnered with a local hotel willing to offer its space for what would become an epic and entirely legal after-hours celebration at our LoopHotel.
Describe the strategy
Our target audience consists of young street-savvy consumers 18-24 who cherish hanging out with friends late into the night and are in no rush to "grow up," much less obey a conservative mayor's curfew.
To capture the essence of Puerto Rico's nightlife, we partnered with many of the city's most iconic bars, offering them a safe space from which to sell to consumers late into the night. Each room in the hotel recreated the look and ambiance of a participating bar, including staff and bartenders. The result was an unprecedented themed space that allowed consumers to bar-hop and hang out late into the night without worrying too much about breaking the law.
Visiting LoopHotel was undeniably fun, but it also came to symbolize a kind of irreverent civil disobedience, with many consumers documenting their visit to highlight the absurdity of the mayor's war against fun.
Describe the execution
After three months of hard work and endless legal paperwork, La H successfully opened its own hotel, joining forces with five iconic bars affected by the law. We recreated the atmosphere of each bar within the hotel's walls, providing consumers with an authentic taste of what San Juan's vibrant nightlife was like prior to the curfew. In turn, these bars could continue selling beer late into the night.
Before the big opening, we sparked anticipation through sneak peeks and influencer partnerships. We created a reservation and "check-in" system through Instagram, encouraging dedicated night owls to defy the city's mayor in a uniquely subversive after-hours experience. On opening night, lucky winners checked in and hopped from room to room, reveling in the festivities with a La H beer in hand. During this period, the brand regularly published recaps on social media, generating buzz, praise, and considerable debate among city residents.
List the results
La H strengthened its market presence by throwing one hell of a party while standing up for Puerto Rico’s culture and economy. Simply put, LoopHotel is a unique brand experience that became far bigger than the sum of its parts: an act of protest, an anti-establishment gathering, an after-hours hangout, and a party for the ages.
Results:
• Half a million in earned media
• 1.5 million impressions
• +140% spike in conversations about that law
• Bar sales bounced back by 35% during our activation
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