2025 Crocodile Awards
Best Food & Beverage Campaign
– Proper No.12 –

Challenge, Context, and Objectives

Australia’s spirits market is fiercely competitive, dominated by established global Irish whiskey brands like Jameson and Bushmills. Within this crowded landscape, Proper No. Twelve emerged as a challenger brand needing differentiation beyond traditional awareness. With cost-of-living pressures constraining spending, Proper No. Twelve’s premium positioning required more than visibility, it demanded authentic connections to convert awareness into loyalty.

Our primary objective was to elevate Proper No. Twelve as the preferred whiskey among adventurous drinkers aged 18–34. This audience aligns with values of grit, resilience, and authenticity, characteristics embodied by Conor McGregor. Recognising competitors were heavily investing in broad, generic messaging, we sought strategic partnerships that would genuinely resonate.

Our solution was two-fold: leveraging the powerful reach and authenticity of The Joe Rogan Experience and tapping into the high-energy, passion-driven MMA community through Eternal MMA. These strategic partnerships aimed to deliver authentic brand storytelling, deepen emotional connections, and drive measurable sales impact.

Insights and Strategy

We identified a powerful insight: young whiskey drinkers crave authentic experiences and emotional connections to brands that reflect their personal values of resilience, authenticity, and boldness. Rather than traditional advertising, our audience naturally gravitated towards long-form, conversational content and culturally relevant experiences like MMA.

The Joe Rogan Experience emerged as the perfect vehicle, boasting millions of engaged listeners aligned with Proper No. Twelve’s core values. Rogan’s genuine, conversational style offered a uniquely credible space to authentically position the brand, naturally integrating it into content that resonated deeply with listeners.

Eternal MMA complemented this approach perfectly, providing continuous visibility within the MMA community on key platforms like UFC Fight Pass and ESPN. This partnership allowed Proper No. Twelve to authentically tap into the raw, resilient spirit of MMA fans, directly connecting the brand’s identity to the passionate community that embodied its core values.

Strategically, we executed integrated multimedia activations timed with major UFC events, combining digital bursts, targeted social activity, and high-profile live integrations. By strategically aligning Proper No. Twelve with influential personalities and culturally relevant events, we established powerful emotional resonance, directly converting audience engagement into measurable business outcomes.

Execution and Audience Engagement

Our campaign brought Proper No. Twelve’s bold identity to life through two highly strategic partnerships.

With The Joe Rogan Experience, we executed four weeks of powerful live-read integrations, seamlessly embedding Proper No. Twelve into authentic conversations heard by millions of listeners. This wasn’t traditional advertising – it was genuine storytelling, directly engaging listeners who connected with Rogan’s authenticity and conversational style. These integrations positioned Proper No. Twelve as more than a whiskey; it became part of the culture, tapping into Rogan’s influential voice and the trust of his loyal audience.

Simultaneously, our partnership with Eternal MMA provided continuous brand visibility at pivotal MMA moments. Proper No. Twelve prominently featured in live events, broadcasts on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN, and strategic sponsorship placements such as Foxtel’s ‘Smooth Move’ segments. We amplified visibility further through targeted Snapchat activations timed around UFC events, reaching our audience exactly when their passion for MMA peaked.

Each activation was precisely selected to maximise impact, integrating Proper No. Twelve authentically into the cultural fabric of our audience’s world. Our integrated strategy effectively positioned Proper No. Twelve within high-energy, social occasions, naturally aligning the brand’s boldness and authenticity with the MMA community and influential personalities. These partnerships didn’t just deliver reach, they created genuine, lasting connections and drove substantial engagement well beyond industry benchmarks.

Results and Impact

The Proper No. Twelve partnerships delivered extraordinary results, significantly exceeding initial objectives and industry standards:

• Our collaboration with Eternal MMA delivered exceptional results, driving a remarkable 149% year-on-year sales growth on the 1L SKU (August 2023 vs. August 2024).

• The Joe Rogan Experience integrations directly contributed to a 20% increase in total brand sales in August 2024.

• Campaign content achieved impressive audience engagement metrics: 3 million total impressions, 83,000 video views, and over 1,700 direct audience engagements across various digital and social channels.

Audience analysis confirmed precise targeting success: 88% of Rogan’s listeners were male, with 41% aged between 25–34 which perfectly aligned with Proper No. Twelve’s core demographic. By strategically leveraging partnerships, we connected deeply with adventurous, authentic-seeking whiskey drinkers, significantly improving both immediate sales performance and long-term brand affinity.

Crucially, these results were achieved organically, without traditional promotional offers or retailer incentives. By authentically positioning Proper No. Twelve within the MMA and Rogan communities, we created brand loyalty driven by genuine connection rather than price-based incentives.

These outstanding results have influenced Proper No. Twelve’s ongoing strategic planning, with both partnerships now forming integral components of future marketing initiatives. Through these carefully selected, culturally resonant partnerships, we not only exceeded short-term objectives but firmly positioned Proper No. Twelve as a preferred whiskey choice among bold, adventurous consumers – proof of the extraordinary power and lasting impact of strategic, authentic brand partnerships.

Thank you…