Giving non-alcoholic beer its moment

To achieve this, we embraced a social-first approach, collaborating with talented influencers and CGC creators to generate awareness and incentivize trials of the Grolsch NAB portfolio for 20-40-year-olds in the Netherlands. 

With humor, relatability, and authenticity at its core, the campaign encouraged influencers and creators to develop engaging and genuine content that resonated with their audiences. By strategically leveraging this content through both organic and paid media, we increased awareness and drove strong engagement and earned media, positioning Grolsch 0.0% as a lead in the NAB category.

• Balancing authenticity and branding: It was crucial to select influencers who could seamlessly integrate the product into their content without feeling forced. The challenge was to avoid obvious product placement, so the campaign’s message resonated naturally with the audience.
• Shifting brand perception: Non-alcoholic beers often struggle with the perception of being less “cool.” Our content needed to challenge this mindset and establish Grolsch 0.0 as a desirable option.

To maximize impact, we embraced a hybrid strategy that combined influencer-driven storytelling with user-generated content (CGC) and paid media. 

Grolsch 0.0’s campaign balanced relatability and entertainment. It embodied the essence of our creative domain, where special moments speak for themselves, often without the need for words.

By blending organic and paid strategies alongside a distinct message, we reinforced Grolsch 0.0 as a good choice for anyone considering a non-alcoholic beer.

The campaign was executed through two key layers designed to build awareness and consideration:

• Influencer: We partnered with 10 influencers across the lifestyle, entertainment, food, and comedy domains, ensuring a diverse representation that resonated with our key demographics. By adopting a multi-tier approach, we strategically selected influencers from the Macro, Mid, and Micro tiers, each playing a unique role in driving brand awareness and engagement. Over six months, these influencers delivered multiple content touchpoints on Instagram, naturally weaving the Grolsch NAB portfolio into their daily lives.
• CGC: 2 creators produced native-style content tailored for paid media. These assets were amplified to maximize visibility and reinforce campaign messaging. This paid amplification ensured that our target audience encountered the Grolsch NAB portfolio across multiple touchpoints, reinforcing awareness and driving consideration.

Rather than creating overly polished content, influencers were given the creative freedom to be the directors. By carefully selecting influencers whose lifestyles aligned with the Grolsch brand, the content concepts resonated with both their audience and ours. 

A defining moment of the campaign was the viral success of one influencer’s content, which sparked widespread attention, generating over 5M views and more than 50,000 shares. The post resonated with audiences due to its high relatability and emotional relevance, inspiring thousands to like and share the experience with their own networks. This organic virality reinforced the power of influencer authenticity and real-life storytelling to drive both reach and engagement.

The campaign generated 65 high-quality content pieces, resulting in over 8.3M impressions (+488% above KPI) and an engagement rate of 4%, surpassing the industry benchmark of 2-3%. These outstanding results validate the effectiveness of our multi-tier influencer strategy, which successfully captured the attention of an audience genuinely interested in the Grolsch NAB message.

A key strength of this campaign was its ability to drive authentic engagement. Sentiment analysis revealed an overwhelmingly positive audience response, particularly towards content that showcased personal stories, shared experiences, and meaningful moments with loved ones. Importantly, the product was seamlessly integrated, enriching the storytelling while maintaining an organic feel, successfully striking the perfect balance between authenticity and brand visibility.

• Real-time optimizations: Regular check-ins and performance monitoring allowed for data-driven optimizations, ensuring continuous improvement. A prime example was Flight 2, where strategic adjustments led to content being viewed 4x times more.
• Creative freedom as a performance driver: Giving influencers creative autonomy allowed them to produce authentic and highly relatable content, strengthening their connection with their audiences. 

When evaluating the performance of CGC, we see that creator content achieves higher ERs and VTRs due to its native look and feel, resulting in better VTRs than branded assets. CGC assets proved more effective in driving engagement, with a +49.5% increase over branded assets.