Mike’s Hard Lemonade Co. is on a Mission to Deliver Good News this Summer

From Mike’s Hard:

CHICAGO, IL  April 1, 2019 On a day comprised of pranks and trickery, Mike’s Hard Lemonade is speaking the truth when it comes to happiness. Today, the brand announced a summer campaign—The Brighter Times—to celebrate the third year of its “Drink on the bright side” mantra. The Brighter Times, created to combat ongoing news fatigue and instead remind people of the joy-spreading potential of good news, taps into storytelling mediums like AI and digital to deliver happy news and smile-inducing content. The campaign consists of a multi-platform, tech-centric partnership with The Washington Post’s creative agency, WP BrandStudio, and an activation with influencer Tank Sinatra of Tank’s Good News. The Brighter Times kicks off with today’s one-day WashingtonPost.com S(ad) Blocker homepage takeover that “blocks” negative news and directs readers to positive stories on the site. 

“We’ve introduced innovative ways to deliver happiness for the last 20 years, and every year we find new sources of joy to connect with mike’s drinkers everywhere,” said Sanjiv Gajiwala, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Mike’s Hard Lemonade Co. “Mike’s is all about inspiring good times, but this year we’re taking our mission one step further to determine how these ‘good times’ make people feel. Through like-minded collaborations with media and influencers, we’re delivering new kinds of happiness as well as exploring its effect on our consumers.”

Details of The Brighter Times campaign include:

• The Washington Post Homepage Ad Takeover & Joy Experiment Pop-up – In addition to the WashingtonPost.com S(ad) Blocker homepage takeover, Mike’s and WP BrandStudio are collaborating on a first-to-market research experiment that uses facial and emotional recognition software to dive into the impact of good news. The two will also harness artificial intelligence at a pop-up experience hosted in New York City in June where attendees will use facial recognition technology.
  
• Bringing Brighter Times to Local News – In a small market takeover, Mike’s identified North Platte, Nebraska to receive its own customized happy news. The brand will share its appreciation and gratitude for the close-knit community of North Platte by “interrupting” local news programming to deliver ad spots in the form of good news happening around the town.
  
• Happy Feed Consumer Activation – To deliver happiness to people across the country, Mike’s is installing bright yellow newsstands nationwide. These newsstands will contain free newspapers with positive, smile-worthy stories curated in partnership with Tank’s Good News, for the cities’ residents and visitors to take.

Agency partners include Wavemaker (media, content and technology), Havas Chicago (creative), Havas Formula (public relations), Havas Street (experiential) and G7 Entertainment Marketing (activation).
To learn more about what the brand is up to this summer, follow Mike’s Hard Lemonade on Instagram and Facebook at @MikesHardLemonade, and Twitter at @MHL.
About Mike’s Hard Lemonade Co.Founded in 1999, Chicago-based Mike’s Hard Lemonade Co. defined the $3.2 billion flavored malt beverage category with the introduction of its groundbreaking mike’s® hard lemonade. Mike’s product line is comprised of premium malt beverages including mike’s® hard lemonade and mike’s HARDER® lemonade.  The company also produces White Claw® Hard Seltzer.