LOGO

Ferry ride along the Thames, to a screening of one of the best movies ever made, with immersive theatre styling, and whiskey-based cocktails – sounds good. Oh, and it’s all for free. Err – incredible.

Thanks to Jameson whiskey, that’s what I got up to the other day, along with hundreds of other cult film lovers, for one of three nights’ screenings of The Usual Suspects.

So why cult film for Jameson? – it doesn’t quite marry with those slightly witty/heritage/sailor-barrel TV ads I’ve seen…

For one, if you’re going to choose any entertainment platform, Film over say Music makes sense, as it’s not a crowded market place for boozy brands.

And secondly: “Just like cult film, Jameson is a social creature, smooth and playful… the perfect drink to share with your friends when you are watching a cult classic”.

That’s quite a claim. But Jameson HAS been building a relationship with Film over the past 10 years, sponsoring Tribeca film festival, the Empire Awards, and establishing its very own Short Film Award and film event seasons – most famously the Halloween specials at Islington’s Union Chapel [cue Halloween email that popped up into my inbox this morning]. And Jameson WAS one of the first to jump on the immersive cinematic event trend, albeit a trend that is now on the slope down from its peak of novelty.

But why spend top dollar presenting free screenings of The Usual Suspects?

Well here’s the Jameson ‘line-up’:

• Create cool event.
• Draw a certain type of captive audience and fully engage them.
• Give out drink tokens – get product in hands/gullets and experienced in new ways.

The result? A positive consumer response: “These cocktails taste good. I’d never thought of buying/making a Jameson cocktail. It’s my new drink of choice when watching great films with my mates.” [Or perhaps just: “Hi Bob, I went to an awesome event last night…” - which is a great result too.]

So a shift in consumer perception, raised profile, a talked-about event, a contributor towards Jameson’s ‘ownership’ of a section of life via cult film link, and ultimately high numbers of consumer sampling to justify spend.

Full brand experience or branded experience? Jameson has clearly established itself two audiences – the traditionalist whiskey drinkers and the younger cocktail generation. For the latter, Jameson states it will enjoy film experiences with friends a lot more with a whiskey in hand.

This is how Jameson has decided to position itself, and whether the consumers are convinced yet or not, there’s no arguing that Jameson nicely delivered this union in one coherent, compelling experience – so I’ll go for brand not branded. Whether it completely delivers on its promise is another question and, really, only the sales figures will tell.

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