If you’ve followed TFR for a while, you would have seen our previous activations with one of the UK’s best known (and most vibey) bar groups, Be At One. In 2019 we painted the town blue with our ‘give a compliment, get a cocktail’ campaign and in 2023 we are back, but 2023 isn’t the year we want to talk about.
This May, we took it back to 1998 and toured the UK in celebration of Be At One’s 25th Birthday.
When the OG’s of fun came to us with the challenge of how to celebrate this milestone, we knew this was a brief we could really create a moment with. Why? Because the theme of 2023 is nostalgia. We saw it with the Super Bowl ads and with S Club and the Sugababes making come backs and selling out UK tours (yes, of course we will be going to these!). The year really does feel like the 90’s and we wanted to ‘Party Like it’s 1998’.
Getting the team on board:
Working across the B2E engagement strategy, we delivered over 500 personalised employee seeding packages for bar tenders to not only be told about the campaign but to experience it and get excited. They each received campaign merch (our favourites were the bucket hats!) and of course tuck shops favourites.
We also ideated and delivered localised toolkits to each of their 40 venues across the UK. This was about creating an experience of the era that will go down just perfectly with a Be At One cocktail.
But when the front of house team are excited what do you do next?
Driving the Hype:
All aboard the Vengabus! We created a bespoke design for our Birthday Bus that was dripping in nostalgia.
Stopping in London, Birmingham and Manchester, we bought the good vibes and the party didn’t stop. With a DJ line up including BBC 1Xtra’s Kaylee Golding bringing the old school tunes and an open bar serving some of Be At One’s most loved cocktails, we kick started the bank holiday weekend in the best way.
Steering Demand:
To support the campaign activation, we released a teaser campaign across Be At One’s social channels reflecting the change in pace in the lead up to the brand and introducing the 90’s theme to the feeds.
We created designs and content featuring old school games and items that pulled on the nostalgic nerve (think old school Bliss magazine quizzes and fluffy diaries).
Our personal fave was our Cameo performance by H from Steps wishing Be At One a happy 25th!
The Road to Legacy:
Strategically, this campaign was about celebrating Be At One with consumers based on valuegraphics. Rather than approaching this from a ‘what do Gen Z want’ perspective, we looked at shared values across all ages and that’s why the campaign worked.
The sweet spot of culture is where you find nostalgia for Boomers and Millennials and discovery for Gen Z.
It’s why Pop Culture needs to play a part in marketing, because it’s something that everyone understands. If we said to you ‘There ain’t no party like a…’ everyone can fill in the blank, because it’s not about your age, it’s about your interest.
It really was a BLAST from the past and we have loved every minute of working on this campaign and the amazing Be At One team. If you are looking to throw it back or to activate your brand in new spaces, you can get in touch with our Business Lead: danielle@tfr.agency
Let’s create Hype, Demand and Legacy ®