Client
ThaiBev’s Chang Beer is one of South East Asia’s leading beer brands. Launched in 1995, Chang Beer is an iconic trademark of Thai culture and pride. The brand has since spread to Western markets and intends to cover the world.
Overview
Brewing a buzz
ThaiBev sought to grow the market for Chang Beer in the United States, specifically in the West Coast. They drew on their global campaign, Chang Sensory Trails, a multi-sensorial experience centered around Thai food, art, and music that strives to create an atmosphere to explore all that makes Chang Beer special.
CHALLENGE
Establishing a cultural brand
Chang Beer’s connection to Thailand and its cuisine is essential to its brand. Our challenge was to communicate this rich culture to the public and establish Thai heritage as part of Chang Beer US’s identity. We needed to take the depth of Chang Beer’s brand and spread it to the public in an approachable yet impactful way.
Solution
Striking from all angles
In order to create an immersive experience equal to the depth of Thailand’s culture, “Sensory Trails” needed to be promoted in a larger than life way. We combined the power of social media, partnerships, advertising, and PR in order to excite and educate the audience.
Joining forces with culinary icons
As one of the first steps of promoting the event, we partnered with global chefs, Chef Bo and Chef Dylan of Bo. Lan, one of the most famous and highly rated restaurants in Bangkok. These chefs would be creating dishes and teaching press about Thai food at the festival. By adding the chefs’ fanbases to our audience, we maximized campaign reach. We conducted a series of live videos, asking the chefs compelling questions about their experiences in Thailand. These videos were spread over all social media channels to stir excitement among listeners about Chang Beer, Thai culture, and food.
Broadcasting via social media
We scoured the San Francisco area for the perfect influencers to promote Sensory Trails. These influencers, found in the booming world of food and travel on social media, would post extensively leading up to and during the event. The online personalities put a face to the name of Sensory Trails, grasping the attention of their wide audiences with captivating video and photo.
Reaching a new audience
In addition to targeting a newer audience via social media, we leveraged the staying power of traditional advertising avenues, such as sponsored playlists on Spotify, advortorials, and more. We also broadened our reach by earning coverage in print and online publications that boast high readerships of a slightly older demographic. Our strategic communications plans that encompassed advertising, PR, and social media strengthened our messaging for Chang Sensory Trails.
Beyond blogging
Combining the world of social media influence and news publications, we uncovered news hooks around the local San Francisco food scene to generate authentic stories around Thai cuisine and Chang Beer with popular bloggers in the industries of food, beverage, and lifestyle. These web personalities featured engaging stories surrounding our global chefs, Chang Beer, and Sensory Trails as a whole. We also secured placements in HuffPo, Cooking With Amy, Girls on Food, Table Hopper, San Francisco Traveler, and more. Through these strategic collaborations, the campaign synthesized the importance of Thailand in Chang Beer’s messaging, Chang Beer’s presence in the United States, and Sensory Trail’s impact on the San Francisco area and beyond.