In 2019, Wye Valley Brewery envisioned an innovative competition to promote their new lager, 1985, by launching a beer into near space and inviting the public to guess its landing location. The closest guess would win a year's supply of 1985 lager (12 cases). The objectives of this campaign were to raise brand awareness, capture new contacts, increase followers on Instagram and Facebook, and highlight the launch of their 1985 lager.
We collaborated closely with Wye Valley Brewery to bring this concept to life. Our approach involved creating a dedicated landing page within the Umbraco CMS, featuring a user-friendly interface where participants could select a predicted landing spot on an interactive map. Participants would then enter their details and agree to the terms and conditions to submit their guesses.
To incentivize sharing, we implemented a referral system: upon submission, users received a personalized discount code and the option to refer friends. For each friend referred who also entered the competition, the original participant earned an additional entry, encouraging viral engagement.
Given the importance of data integrity and compliance, we designed APIs to validate email addresses, ensuring each participant could only make a single entry unless they referred friends. This validation process included checks to prevent multiple entries from the same individual using variations of their email address.
We also prioritized GDPR compliance throughout the campaign. In line with best practices, we ensured that data about referred friends was not stored until they actively participated in the competition. This approach respected individual privacy and adhered to regulations governing referral marketing.
Despite meticulous planning and development, the campaign faced an unforeseen challenge: the UK Flight Controller did not grant the necessary permissions for the near-space launch. Consequently, the competition could not proceed as intended. Nonetheless, the project showcased our ability to design engaging, compliant, and technically robust marketing campaigns, ready to adapt to the dynamic nature of regulatory environments.
