“Dear Diary,
Today my social media was filled with cocktail competition spam, brand newsletters flooded my emails, automated texts interrupted my day, and even my Fitbit vibrated mid workout to tell me about the latest six plus one deal. In a sea of sameness, I can barely differentiate one brand’s campaign from the other, let alone find the resources I’m looking for.”
If you’ve ever felt like this, you’re not alone.
As brands and advocacy teams race to become the first to market, we fail to stop and think whether we’re running the race the right way and whether we’re truly adding value to the community we’re supposed to be supporting.
In a bid to challenge our thinking and get real feedback, Campari Academy launched its Campari Hive Mind initiative in 2023.
Celebrating its second year, I can answer you this: did we absolutely nail it? No… We had high hopes to implement all the changes and feedback we received but even the best laid plans can fail in the face of tough timelines and competing priorities.
To get true and honest feedback, we shared our entire bartender engagement plans for 2024 with the Campari Hive Mind group at Waremah/ Cockatoo Island. Over the course of the day, we etched out what we could do better with insight from 12 of the industry’s most creative and influential bartenders to help us understand what we don’t know.
Nonetheless, when reflecting on a brilliant 24-hour “incubator” style session we just held, we’re left feeling incredibly inspired, hopeful for the future, and challenged to think about how we curate our programs for the better.
To get true and honest feedback, we shared our entire bartender engagement plans for 2024 with the Campari Hive Mind group at Waremah/ Cockatoo Island. Over the course of the day, we etched out what we could do better with insight from 12 of the industry’s most creative and influential bartenders to help us understand what we don’t know. We hosted brand immersions, competition deep dives, social media workshops, hosted aperitivo together and welcomed Gaspar Tse from Hot Luck Snack Club, as our resident chef for the evening to share his approach to food and his creative ingenuity.
What the future will look like is unknown but having these 12 of our 15 Hive Mind for 2024 collaborate with us has already begun a journey that will only lead to more honest, insightful and transparent programs.
The need for open dialogue and a cross-pollination of ideas is the cornerstone of the Hive Mind, so reach out to us, share your thoughts on our programs and the industry, let us know what we’re doing right & wrong, and help us continue to grow in 2024 @campariacademy_au
Xoxo
Stel, Slinky, Jay
The Campari Advocacy Team
