How 818 Tequila brought the influencer experience to fans’ weddings

Brides are saying “I do”—to free tequila.

To celebrate what it calls 818 Day, 818 Tequila tapped into its Happy Hour broadcast channel on Instagram to see which of its 12,000 members were getting married or throwing a bachelorette party around August 18 (or 8/18). As a result, five brides received sponsored bachelorette parties or weddings. The Kendall Jenner–founded brand also partnered with the jewelry brand Ring Concierge to give away additional items to bridal parties for bridesmaid proposal kits, ranging from merch to diamond studs.

“It seems like all the internet’s favorite influencers are getting married this year, and so we’re seeing so much bachelorette and wedding content in our feeds, and how some of our favorite influencers are having brands tap into their special days,” Jenny Brown, executive creative director at 818, told us. “We really wanted to, instead of rewarding creators, reward our community.”

The bridal giveaways mark the end of 818’s “Best Summer Ever” campaign, which featured 10 giveaways total. The campaign netted more than 13 million impressions and 34,000 engagements on top of the 3,000 entries, according to 818 data shared with Marketing Brew.

It’s the latest way the brand is seeking to democratize the influencer experience, starting with those who engage with the brand most intimately via its Happy Hour channel.

“We really rely on that community channel,” Brown said. “Being a member of that community means you like us, and we want to reward that.”

Aisle have what she’s having

At 818, Happy Hour has not only helped drum up excitement, but also encouraged brand loyalty by offering the company the chance to invite members to participate in everything from events to giveaways.

“We want it to be a place where when we do send something, there’s a purpose,” Brown said. “You’re excited to see that the Happy Hour channel is in your Instagram DMs because you’re like, ‘Oh, that means there’s going to be something cool happening or something cool I could win or like a way for me to engage with this brand directly,’ versus being an unwanted thing in your inbox.”

Knowing how expensive and time-consuming wedding planning has become, and given the number of past wedding-related requests the brand has received, now seemed like the right time to get involved, Brown said.

The two brides whose weddings met the giveaway criteria received a custom bar with signature cocktails tailored to their existing themes, in addition to other items like hats and disposable cameras, Brown said; 818 also sent a photographer that frequently works with Jenner to shoot the weddings. Three other brides received 818-sponsored bachelorette parties, which included custom totes, dopp kits, and other goodies, Brown said.

To facilitate the giveaways, 818 partnered with several other brands on the gifts, and Brown said every company they reached out to was in favor of the idea. One of the participating brand partners, phe phe, was co-founded by influencer Brigette Pheloung, who got married this summer and received press attention for promoting the brand during her bachelorette party.

“Everyone was really on board with the idea of rewarding community members versus sending to an influencer,” Brown said. “I think that is a refreshing take on the wedding industry at the moment.”

Brown said the giveaway recipients had no requirements to post, although many did, anyway. By activating around existing celebrations, Brown said, the goal was to make the experience feel less manufactured and more like a natural integration. And in this campaign and other marketing efforts, Brown said 818 has seen particular value in activating beyond major cities like New York and LA, where people can feel jaded about brand activations.

“It’s been fun to show up in places that are unexpected, and make those people feel special and chosen,” she said.

Brown said she wants to continue rewarding customers with wedding-related gifts and around other occasions, like birthdays, although the rewards tend to be anything but alcohol due to legal restrictions. While 818 does try to send something to everyone who reaches out with a bachelorette or bridal request, Brown told us, a generic email request, which is becoming increasingly common among some brides-to-be, probably won’t cut it.

“You can tell from the email the thought and care that they went into composing it,” Brown said, “like if they’re real fans or if it’s a copy-paste.”