Case Study: Hearth & Dram
Situation
Hearth & Dram, planned to open in Denver in January 2017, and the restaurant knew it needed to stand out from the 20+ restaurants slated to open in Metro Denver that month alone – and the 300+ which have opened each year since 2014. With this in mind, BPR began a three-month push to generate buzz about – and anticipation for – Hearth & Dram, so when the doors swung open, all of Denver was awaiting a table.
Strategy
BPR and Hearth & Dram developed a multifaceted, guerrilla-marketing based teaser campaign would drum up intrigue and excitement about Hearth & Dram and set the tone for the concept amongst its targeted audience.
Results
- Secured 60+ local placements, garnering 27+ million media impressions during the opening campaign.
- Media coverage on Facebook drove an additional 52,249 impressions, a 38 percent increase in fans, and 405 clicks to the website and reservations.
- In its first two weeks, Hearth & Dram welcomed approximately 2,000 guests for dinner service alone, and, in that same time period, dinner sales exceeded $100,000, the revenue goal for the entire month, for all day-part segments as well as banquet sales for the hotel.
Tactic: Guerilla Marketing-Based Opening Campaign
BPR and Hearth & Dram produced and distributed 5,000 gold “coins,” as Hearth & Dram’s messaging played off its ties to Denver’s early Gold Rush. The coins provided an incentive to search for more information, directing collectors to a website that did not divulge any info as to what kind of business the site represented.
3,500 of the coins were initially spread around key neighborhoods that were identified as being frequented by targeted customers. News of the coins was leaked exclusively to Eater Denver, the media outlet with a reach and demographic that most directly reflected that of the anticipated Hearth & Dram guest; editorial ran as a result, which was then organically picked up by additional media outlets, including Denverite.
BPR shared an image of the gold coins with a handful of local social media influencers, encouraging them to share with their followers to let them know the coins were “good as gold,” and to save them if they came across them. At this time, Hearth & Dram’s name was still not released and its social channels remained quiet, which continued to build anticipation amongst foodies in Denver.
The week prior to opening, BPR dropped an additional 1,500 coins in the neighborhood immediately surrounding the restaurant, utilizing Instagram Stories to offer hints as to where to find them. BPR also utilized paid and organic Instagram and Facebook posts to promote an exclusive pre-opening dinner for four, available to the first person to find a branded flask hidden in the Union Station neighborhood (hints were also leaked via Instagram Stories).
Results
| 27+ million | 60+ media placements | 150,000 impressions |
|---|---|---|
| MEDIA IMPRESSIONS | IN LOCAL OUTLETS | ON SOCIAL MEDIA DURING OPENING WEEK |
FROM THE MEDIA
“The newest spot to join the Union Station area, Hearth & Dram, offers more than 350 whiskey varieties, plus whiskeys on tap, and a unique and extensive cocktail selection. This, however, is much more than a premier whiskey destination. The restaurant helmed by chef Jeff Wall, who was tapped to run the restaurant serving as executive chef at Kimball House in Atlanta, has a stunning show kitchen anchored by a wood-fired station, a sleek, plush and inviting design, and a menu that comforts and challenges at the same time.”
2,000 dinner guests and $100,000+ in dinner sales
in the first two weeks of restaurant operations, exceeding the revenue goal for the entire opening month, for all day-part segments as well as banquet sales for the hotel.