Jameson is an iconic brand that has led the Irish Whiskey revolution for over 30 years. Today, Jameson proudly holds the title of #1 Irish Whiskey and ranks as the #5 Whiskey in the US. However, Jameson is often perceived as a “shot brand” with a harsh taste, synonymous with party culture and Irish clichés. While this reputation once fueled its success, it now limits the brand’s ability to grow and connect with new, broader audiences.
Given this challenge, Jameson set out to showcase the brands drinkability and relevance in one of the biggest drinking occasions in the US - NFL game day.
The problem was, Beer has dominated tailgates and game-day rituals for decades, thanks to its easy, all-day consumption and years of NFL advertising that cemented it as the go-to choice for football. Spirits, however, were excluded from NFL advertising until 2017, making it challenging to break into the beer dominated drinking space.
So Jameson set out to change that by inspiring fans to make Jameson a go-to drink for gameday, with a cocktail tastier than stale, flat beer.
To grow its gameday share, Jameson set its sights on key moments when fans typically reach for beer—zeroing in on NFL viewing occasions to make its mark.
By going head-to-head with beer at its peak relevance, we positioned Jameson as the better, more flavorful choice, successfully recruiting new drinkers and boosting brand salience in a massive drinking occasion.
Teaming up with Snapchat, Jameson embraced the power of the second screen, inviting fans to Snap & Swap their beer for Jameson through a first-of-its-kind AR experience.
Here’s how we did it:
Turning a beer into a Jameson Ginger & Lime was the perfect game-day moment—but it wasn’t without challenges.
Because this AR technology had never been attempted before, we had to train image recognition software to flawlessly detect pint glasses in all shapes, sizes, beer colors, and lighting conditions. Without precision, the lens wouldn’t work—risking the entire experience.
Even after perfecting glass recognition, the transformation needed to feel authentic and on-brand—avoiding anything too gimmicky or cartoonish. It took countless iterations to get it right, ensuring the final effect was as smooth as Jameson itself.
The Jameson AR lens campaign delivered standout results, capturing the attention of football fans all season long. Reaching over 27 million users—1 in 5 football fans—the campaign successfully put Jameson at the center of game-day celebrations.
But more importantly, the campaign achieved record-breaking engagement rates:
