Bee the Difference

The “Bee the Difference” LTO, which ran from April 1-May 20, 2024, was created to help protect pollinators, raise awareness, and educate the public about their importance. It offered guests at each U.S. locations where Delaware North operates two specially crafted cocktails: the “Bee’s Harvest Margarita,” a premium margarita made with PATRÓN Silver Tequila, and the “Bourbon Bee’s Knees,” made with Angel’s Envy Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey.

The theme of the campaign was pollinators, which was reflected in the featured cocktails, the brand partner, the marketing materials, and the seasonality. Given the importance of pollination for Weber Blue Agave, a critical ingredient in tequila, we partnered with Bacardi USA – the parent company of the promotion’s featured spirits, PATRÓN and Angel’s Envy – as they are dedicated to limiting the environmental impact on tequila production and protecting pollinators, and are the first tequila distiller to be GLOBALG.A.P. (Global Good Agricultural Practice) Certified for meeting agricultural standards.

The Bee’s Harvest Margarita was made with PATRON Silver Tequila, a trio of citrus juices, and agave – a plant that requires pollination to survive. The Bourbon Bee’s Knees was made with Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, lemon, and honey – another ingredient made by pollinators.

Another unique attribute of the campaign was the pollinator-themed augmented reality (AR) experience. Guests could scan a QR code with their mobile device, which led them to an AR experience in which a pop-up book would “appear” on the table in front of them. The pop-up book featured visuals of bees flying around, agave plants growing, and an AR PATRON Silver Tequila bottle. Guests would flip through the pages of the book, answering trivia questions about the importance of pollinators.

The mobile experience also featured bee- and agave-themed social media filters and gave guests the opportunity to share their selfies on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Highlights of the results included:
• Over $20,000 donated to The Bee Cause in support of their mission to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards while protecting the planet’s precious pollinators
• 41,000+ loads of the augmented reality experience
• 18,000+ plays on Snapchat
• Average time spent on the augmented reality experience: 36 minutes, 12 seconds
• Average time spent on the Instagram filter: 3 minutes and 47 seconds
• 715 media placements, generating 319.8 million media impressions and $1.51 million in calculated advertising value
• 191,179 emails sent with a 23.32% open rate
• 42,614 content impressions on Facebook and Instagram
• 100% positive net sentiment from social media listening

Sales of cocktails & the related spirit (tequila/bourbon) products saw a +6.7% weekly sales lift above expected results during the promotion, with all of the lift being attributed to the “Bee The Difference” promoted products as no switching was seen from existing cocktail & related spirit products.

This campaign contributed to advancing the premium hospitality sector in a few ways. We know that a majority of U.S. consumers say sustainability is a priority when making purchases – 78% say that a sustainable lifestyle is important to them and 77% of consumer products and retail organizations found that sustainability leads to increases in customer loyalty. As a result, offering this cause marketing campaign drives value for our guests without any impact to pricing.

In addition, a majority of Delaware North’s sports clients prioritize sustainability and expect their hospitality provider to do the same. The “Bee the Difference” campaign provides a strong proof point of our commitment to sustainability with current clients. Seventy-three percent of business-to-business buyers would pay more from companies with a strong purpose.

The marketing and media strategy focused on raising awareness about the importance of pollinators, rather than the donation component of the program – which was not communicated until the program concluded. By doing so, we allowed the focus to remain on the cause and our nonprofit partner, rather than Delaware North. By creating an interactive, gamified, augmented reality experience, we provided guests an engaging way to learn about pollinators, and by including social media filters and a functionality to share it with their network, we provided a fun way to share it with their networks and take the experience beyond the four walls of our locations.

Finally, while not as quantifiable, it is widely understood that Delaware North team members and operators really enjoy the “Bee the Difference” campaign and the positive impact it makes. Team members understand the value pollinators have in our world and work and are excited to have the opportunity to make a difference – elevating the experience for guests and all those around them.