This entry demonstrates the powerful impact of creative strategy on tangible business outcomes. In a fiercely competitive spirits market, Proper No. Twelve leveraged strategic, culturally resonant partnerships with The Joe Rogan Experience and Eternal MMA, directly connecting with an audience that values authenticity, resilience, and boldness. Rather than traditional awareness advertising, we crafted deep emotional engagement through meaningful storytelling. This creative strategy resulted in substantial, measurable sales growth—directly attributable to these unique partnerships. Proper No. Twelve successfully differentiated itself, creating sustained brand preference and loyalty, clearly exemplifying the effectiveness criteria outlined by the Crocodile Awards.
Challenge, Context, and Objectives
The Australian spirits category is dominated by established global players such as Jameson and Bushmills. Proper No. Twelve, as a premium challenger brand, faced significant pressure due to economic constraints impacting discretionary consumer spending. Awareness alone was insufficient; the brand required authentic differentiation to drive conversions from consideration to sales.
Our challenge was to elevate Proper No. Twelve to become the preferred whiskey choice among adventurous, authenticity-seeking drinkers aged 18–34. Recognising competitors’ investment in broad, generic marketing, our ambitious objective was to resonate deeply with a discerning audience through genuinely authentic connections.
We strategically identified partnerships aligning with our audience’s core passions. Leveraging the influential credibility of The Joe Rogan Experience and engaging the passion-driven MMA community through Eternal MMA, our objective was clear: to convert brand engagement into loyalty, ultimately resulting in measurable sales growth without relying on price promotions or incentives.
Insights and Strategy
Our strategic insight revealed young whiskey drinkers seek authentic experiences and meaningful brand connections that mirror their personal values of resilience and authenticity. Rather than conventional advertising, they naturally gravitate towards culturally relevant content, particularly long-form conversational platforms and passion-driven experiences such as MMA.
The Joe Rogan Experience, renowned for authentic conversations with millions of engaged listeners, emerged as an ideal partnership. Rogan’s influential voice offered a uniquely credible, conversational approach to integrate Proper No. Twelve authentically, deeply resonating with the brand’s core audience.
Similarly, Eternal MMA provided continuous visibility within the passionate MMA community across platforms like UFC Fight Pass and ESPN. This strategically placed Proper No. Twelve within the heart of a community embodying the brand’s bold, resilient ethos.
Our strategic approach involved integrated activations timed precisely with major UFC events. We combined impactful digital bursts, targeted social activations, and high-profile live integrations to elevate Proper No. Twelve’s relevance during culturally significant moments. By aligning strategically with influential voices and passion-driven events, we established powerful emotional connections, directly translating audience engagement into measurable business results.
Execution and Audience Engagement
Our creative execution was centred around authentic storytelling delivered through two highly strategic partnerships.
Through The Joe Rogan Experience, we executed four weeks of influential live-read integrations, embedding Proper No. Twelve seamlessly within Rogan’s authentic conversations. This approach elevated Proper No. Twelve beyond a mere product mention, making it part of genuine cultural dialogue. Listeners experienced the brand as an authentic recommendation rather than traditional advertising, effectively positioning Proper No. Twelve as an integral part of their lifestyle choices.
Simultaneously, Eternal MMA provided consistent visibility during peak MMA moments. Proper No. Twelve appeared prominently across live events, broadcast platforms (UFC Fight Pass, ESPN), and strategic sponsorship integrations such as Foxtel’s ‘Smooth Move’ segments. We amplified this visibility further through precise Snapchat activations around key UFC events, directly engaging the audience at moments when their passion peaked.
Every activation was strategically crafted to maximise emotional impact and audience engagement, aligning Proper No. Twelve authentically within high-energy social occasions. This cohesive execution strategy leveraged culturally significant moments, directly translating into strong brand affinity and substantially exceeding industry engagement benchmarks.
Our approach was not merely about reach; it focused on genuine resonance. By weaving Proper No. Twelve naturally into authentic, influential cultural contexts, we ensured our execution not only captured attention but fostered deep emotional connections, directly translating into measurable business outcomes.
Results and Impact
The Proper No. Twelve partnerships achieved outstanding results, clearly demonstrating the measurable business impact of our creative strategy:
Our strategic partnership with Eternal MMA led directly to exceptional sales outcomes, delivering a remarkable 149% year-on-year increase in sales of the 1L SKU (August 2023 vs. August 2024). Similarly, The Joe Rogan Experience integrations contributed significantly, driving a 20% total increase in brand sales in August 2024 alone.
Engagement metrics demonstrated the deep resonance and effectiveness of our creative strategy. Campaign content achieved 3 million impressions, 83,000 video views, and over 1,700 direct audience interactions across digital and social platforms. Audience analysis further validated the precision of our targeting, revealing that 88% of Rogan’s listeners were male, with 41% aged 25–34, aligning perfectly with Proper No. Twelve’s core demographic.
Crucially, these impressive sales outcomes were driven organically, without reliance on traditional promotional discounts or retailer incentives. This organic growth clearly indicates that the creative strategy itself—authentic storytelling through culturally resonant partnerships—effectively translated audience engagement into genuine brand loyalty and increased consumer preference.
The long-term effectiveness of these partnerships has now shaped Proper No. Twelve’s ongoing marketing strategy. Both Eternal MMA and The Joe Rogan Experience are now integral elements of future marketing initiatives, demonstrating the strategic foresight and sustained impact of our creative approach.
In summary, this entry clearly illustrates how innovative creative thinking, precisely executed through authentic partnerships, delivered extraordinary, quantifiable business outcomes. By deeply understanding our audience and strategically aligning with their passions, Proper No. Twelve significantly differentiated itself, creating powerful brand affinity, measurable sales growth, and long-term market positioning, definitively meeting the criteria for effectiveness outlined by the Crocodile Awards.
Thank you…