Ireland is closely associated with intense drinking experiences and overly masculine ideas of fun. As a result, we tried to keep our representation of the country close to audience expectations. Beer lovers are active on social media and are in direct contact with viral content. That is why we needed a powerful story to arouse interest in the brand.
We engaged ordinary people during the experiment and used their reactions to reach out to beer lovers.
We filmed the experiment in the streets of Tbilisi. We offered ordinary people a virtual tour of Ireland and a virtual trip to a typical Irish pub in Virtual Reality. At the same time, in a matter of seconds, our crew built an authentic Irish pub around unsuspecting victims. The pub was full of actors impersonating how Georgians perceive Ireland and lots of beer. The video of the stunt was posted on the Old Irish Facebook page on March 18 with a modest placement budget.
The experiment's video engaged more than 50% of all Internet users in Georgia, with a record 1 million views in 72 hours. Following the campaign, 515,698 liters were sold during the first month (2x more sales).
