With London hosting more Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows than any other city in the world, bringing 700,000 people across eight dates at Wembley Stadium, and fans expected to boost the London economy by £300million, London-based wine start-up, Nice wanted to jump on the opportunity to pull off a viral stunt.
With conversations popping off all across social media, the Nice marketing team rolled into action, planting a (NFL star and Taylor Swift’s much-hyped new partner) Travis Kelce lookalike in a Wembley Sainsbury’s, “papped” on TikTok buying Nice canned Sauvignon Blanc. The video has been viewed by over 1.1M people on TikTok, even reaching Capital FM’s Saturday chat show.
To learn more, we spoke to Emily Churchill, Head of Marketing at Nice.
What was the brief?
The brief was simple, go viral.
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
We were brainstorming stunt ideas in the pub at the end of April. Taylor's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department had just come out and she mentions wine in a few songs. We knew there'd be tons of hype around her UK Eras Tour Dates and felt there was a real opportunity to land a marketing stunt during her London dates.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
We originally were inspired by our other viral stunt, where we got a can of our Sparkling White wine into the hands of Timothée Chalamet at the Willy Wonka Premier. Our aim was to try and get a can in Taylor's hand.
Starting with huge, expansive thinking in a brainstorm seems to work well for us, then you drill down into what is actually feasible but will still have the most impact. That's how we landed on a lookalike and moved to her partner, Travis Kelce, rather than Taylor herself
What was the production process like?
The whole thing cost us a fiver.
We pulled in a photographer friend, used our colleagues as our lookalikes and just met and shot the content. There wasn't a huge production process, it was a lot scrappier and entrepreneurial than that.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge was figuring out how we can fool the Swifties, Taylor's die hard fans, who would be able to easily see that it wasn't actually Travis Kelce buying a can of Nice. The beauty was that we didn't need to actually overcome this. The debate and chat between people in the comments helped it go even more viral.
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
Just an iPhone & Tik Tok.
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
We were buying wine so the cashier asked our lookalike for ID.This made the final content even better. Swifties were losing their minds over the fact Travis Kelce also get's ID'd in the supermarket.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
We just wanted more people to know that our canned wine range is available in Sainsburys.
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
We'd planned it about 6 weeks in advance, but it only ended up taking a few hours to capture it, edit it and set it live.
Can you describe the creative spark or inspiration behind the initial concept?
Definitely the anticipation of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour coming to London, and knowing there must be some marketing magic that can happen because of such a huge cultural moment.
How did you ensure that the concept aligned with the brand's values and target audience?
We knew that a large chunk of Taylor Swift's audience would be perfect Nice consumers.
Were there any alternative concepts or ideas considered during the ideation phase?
Just to use a Taylor Swift lookalike, instead of Travis Kelce. But we thought she was too huge of a star in the UK. It would never be believable.
What role did consumer research or market analysis play in shaping rhe concept and its execution?
Just knowing that the biggest conversation on Tik Tok would be anchored around Taylor Swift on that date.
Can you discuss any unique or unconventional production techniques or approaches used to bring the idea to life?
Just the approach of begging for forgiveness instead of asking for permission and trusting that you can achieve huge reach on next to know budget.
How did you ensure that the concept remained innovative and stood out in a crowded marketplace?
One of our values at Nice is to lead and not follow. So we apply this filter to all of our creative ideas.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
A boost in awareness & rate of sale would be amazing.
Credit list for the work?
Nice marketing team
