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Hardywood

*live client: Hardywood through the Brandcenter  
*pitch winner

Team: Ben Butler (ST), Tony Fahmy (ST), Lucie Desvallées (CW), Leo Cvitanovich (CW), Morgan Maclachlan (AD)



The Ask

Create a seasonal beer campaign for the Virginian craft beer brand, Hardywood. Ideally, the campaign should draw in a younger crowd (21-30) too.


The Main Idea

We came up with a variety of jumping-off ideas but quickly fell in love with creating a ‘Cuffing Season’ beer. This was based on the insight that seasons in the alcohol category have more to do with cultural associations than they do climate.


Problem

To ensure that a Cuffing Season beer would be a good investment, we needed to determine its relevance to current culture and figure out what Hardywood’s role in the season would be.

Cuffing Season is Ingrained in Dating Culture








A definition we created for the uninitiated.



65%

of singles believe Cuffing Season exists


46%

think more about dating during Cuffing Season


41%

say they use dating apps more during this time







Self-deprecating memes like these populate Instagram and Twitter during the chilly months. It’s also interesting to note (for the Absolut x Lizzo post in the bottom middle) that while Lizzo linked this drink with Cuffing Season, Absolut didn’t use the idea of “Cuffing Season” to market it… It’s become part of our culture but it has yet to be capitalized on by brands.

Cuffing Season is Deeply Linked to Online Dating




Dozens of Cuffing Season articles like this Mashable one, “How to survive cuffing season 2021”, give  advice for the season solely related to online dating apps and profile tips, rather than focusing on how to meet a partner in-person. Additionally:

  • Men are 15% more likely to seek out women in the winter on dating apps

  • Bumble reports that October to early November is the app’s busiest time for messaging 

  • Hinge reports that they “receive the most downloads during October each fall” (the traditional start to Cuffing Season)




But Online Dating Leaves Us Lonely



  • 54% of singles report feeling lonely after swiping on swiping apps
  • 81% of users have never found a long-term relationship on any swiping app
  • Only 1/500 swipes turn into phone number exchanges
  • The average time a Tinder user spends on their app is 90 minutes a day, logging in an average of 11 times a day


“Tinder just doesn’t feel efficient. I’m pretty frustrated and annoyed with it because it feels like you have to put in a lot of swiping to get like one good date.” - Elizabeth Hyde, 26

“I kinda use it now just for entertainment when I’m bored or standing in lines… [and I realized] the idea of being one swipe away from a potential mate kind of lowers the meaning of potential interaction.” - Larry Lawal, 27

Insight / Stance

Online dating fails to produce relationships and has killed the magic of dating. It’s letting Cuffing Season’s good intentions down.



Strategy / Role

Hardywood can be the hero that brings people together, taking Cuffing season out of the digital world and into the physical one, all while flipping the seasonal beer category on its head.