The Early House, from Jameson

Who said early nights
couldn’t be great nights?

Jameson’s Early House gave fans of the brand the chance to enjoy a jam-packed night of music, dancing, great drinks (all low & non-alcohol), and rubbing shoulders with some real trendsetters. And still get home early.

It was dreamt up as part of the Jameson ‘Take It Handy’ campaign, the brand’s first global responsible drinking campaign

Oh yeah – did we mention that there was Murder On The Dancefloor?

Spearheading a global campaign with an unforgettable, but very local, event.

Jameson launched its ‘Take It Handy’ responsible drinking campaign in December 2022, powered by a new TVC featuring Aisling Bea, with the aim of empowering customers to make Jameson their drink of choice when it comes to moderation. This was supported by a host of new low and no alcohol cocktails made available through the global social channels.

Ireland was chosen to spearhead the PR launch globally, a challenge we were buzzing to accept.

A useful insight into what stops you going out.

Research showed that many consumers were missing out on nights out due to personal or work commitments, often abstaining completely for fear of staying out too late.

This insight sparked a thought; what if you could have all the fun of a brilliant night out, and still get home at a reasonable hour?

Thus, The Early House was born.

A moderate twist on an infamous pub

We knew the thought of a whiskey brand opening an early hours venue would catch the attention of consumers and our pals in the media. An “early house” is a pub that opens early in the morning to serve those working unsocial hours, but with a (no longer deserved) reputation for catering for the hardest of drinkers – early.

But our plan had a twist.  Jameson’s Early House would only be open from 6:30pm – 9:00pm, packing in all of the best bits from a great night out, with early doors.

Moderate drinking, extreme fun

We transformed Jameson’s secret venue, Scully’s, into an epic late-night space, complete with a wicked new neon sign, and added some magic, with a surprise performance from dancefloor icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor who performed her biggest tunes for our guests which included consumers, media and target influencers.

Guests were also treated to a selection of low and no-alcohol libations, along with the Jameson signature serve, Jameson Ginger + Lime, and eats from the one and only Krewe restaurant.

We secured amazing pre-event buzz and coverage with the target media such as Joe/Her.ie, Lovin.ie, with a total reach of almost 5 million.

The idea was hailed internally at Irish Distillers for its creativity, and acknowledged as a ‘best in practice’ event globally to inspire other markets activating the ‘Take It Handy’ campaign globally.

The event was massively oversubscribed, with a KPI target of 40 media and influencers well and truly smashed, as the venue reached capacity RSVP of 70 within days of the invites being issued.

All in, the feedback from those lucky to be in attendance was beyond glowing, and achieved our ambition for consumers to look at socialising and moderation through a different lens. Who said great nights out have to be dull?