Ballantine’s readies ‘not your run of the mill’ global music platform
Ballantine’s is partnering with online music channel Boiler Room to launch what it claims is a music platform that will deviate from the “well trodden path” of similar efforts from alcohol brands looking to appear youthful by providing a more authentic listening experience for fans.
Video: Ballentine’s and Boiler Room present “Stay True Journeys”
https://player.vimeo.com/video/86358877
The drinks maker is looking to position itself as a trusted music source by leveraging Boiler Room’s reputation among established producers such as Skream and Mark Ronson. The underground music platform, which attracts over six million monthly viewers, has carved its brand around streaming lo-fi, intimate gigs spanning several music genres since launching in 2010 and Ballantine’s wants to benefit from the approach.
The “Stay True Journeys” platform centres on a series of 15-minute documentaries, shot on location around the world, featuring local musicians exploring the impact music has had on different cultures. One-off gigs, hosted and shot in the same “intimate” style as Boiler Room’s own, will be staged in each profiled city and headlined by a mix of international artists and emerging talent.
Tickets to the events will be exclusively available via Ballantine’s and Boiler Room channels while fans will also be able to tune-in live online via a microsite. Ballantine’s will be encouraging viewers to share content around the platform in the hopes of creating a community of people that “crave the social currency around music”.
Peter Moore, global brand director for Ballantine’s told Marketing Week, Boiler Room’s unique formula of invite-only events with global live-steam content creates “a more personal tone” that sets the platform apart from similar campaigns such as Smirnoff’s Nightlife Project.
He adds: “We don’t want to try and be someone’s embarrassing relative and try and fit into a world where don’t belong. A lot of [alcohol] brands go into the big music platform, whether it’s the festival or a tour, and so we wanted to go for something that would bring a new dynamic to the tried-and-tested model.
“We’ve built something that has the legs to keep going and evolve the “Stay True” positioning alongside what we’re doing elsewhere digitally and through our advertising campaigns.”
The long-term tie-up, brokered by M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, aims to inject scale into the brand’s music-based activations, which have previously focused on local markets. Ballantine’s is using the platform to drive awareness in markets such as the UK where it is overshadowed by other spirits brands as well as enhance its credentials in more established regions such as Eastern Europe.
