What vodka can be

After a number of industry interviews, customer surveys, and creative concepts, we created the Vodka of Tomorrow campaign for Broken Shed - A play on the fact that the home of Broken Shed Vodka, New Zealand, can be a day ahead of the USA.

At the same time, the Vodka of Tomorrow taps into American perceptions that New Zealand is a place of adventure and character. So naturally, every sip of Broken Shed should inspire good times and good stories, and quench your thirst for discovery.

The next challenge was rolling out this new creative concept across the internet.

Getting social

Our overarching goals were creating a national brand awareness campaign across the USA, while also breaking into a few key markets. Each state has their own liquor laws and distribution regulations, so there was no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. 

Other premium vodka brands are backed by much larger budgets, so we knew there was no way Broken Shed could go toe-to-toe with them on a traditional marketing campaign. Good thing our marketing and creative teams are resourceful and innovative.

We used the framework of ‘What vodka can be’ to develop unexpected ‘can be’ content for our audiences:

Find your way to what ingredients can be: 
Ingredients matter to bartenders, mixologists and at the shelf. But ours isn’t the usual ingredient story. New Zealand isn’t like anywhere else;

Find your way to what taste can be:
We’re going to help you create and enjoy cocktails that are ‘sweet as’ and a little unexpected (and we won’t be pretentious about it);

Find your way to what experiences can be:
Broken Shed Vodka connects you to bucket list experiences you didn’t even know were on your bucket list.

The website of tomorrow

The Vodka of Tomorrow campaign, much like Broken Shed itself, is clean, classy and minimalistic. It’s fair to say, the website needed a refresh to match the brand. To accompany the launch of the Vodka of Tomorrow campaign, we created a landing page for the Broken Shed website.

Between June 20 and December 31, 2021, we saw a 230% increase in U.S. web traffic visitors, and a 44% increase from New Zealand. The time on page increased 552% which tells us people were engaged.

We used these insights to shape web development. While Broken Shed is very much the Vodka of Tomorrow, the brand is much larger than this one campaign. The Vodka of Tomorrow needed to sit within this website, without dominating it.

The focus was to develop a clean, modern,visually appealing platform that takes visitors on a journey to discover why Broken Shed Vodka is so unique – and worth tasting

Custom designed cocktails

The growth of Broken Shed Vodka’s social media channels was driven by high quality content, cocktail ideas, and infusion inspiration. We wanted to include these ideas on the website in a streamlined, user-friendly way.

A custom-designed recipe section presents stunning cocktail photography with easy to digest instructions and integrated ‘favoriting’ and sharing mechanisms, so you can save drink recipes for later. The story develops throughout the site and each next step is clear for our key
audiences, whether they be consumers, bartenders or distributors.

The Development Team also created some new features to improve the Broken Shed user experience.

Site Wide Robust Search Engine

First time to the website? Are you a returning visitor and kind-of know where you want to go? The search tool allows you to easily navigate the entire website and find the specific page or information you’re looking for.

Store Locator Search Tool

Now it’s easy to find the Broken Shed nearest you! The new Store Locator Search Tool even allows you to filter between on and off-license premises. So, whether you’re looking for the perfect Shed & Tonic in a local bar, or a bottle to take home for the weekend, you can find exactly where you need to go

Distributor Region Filtering System

How do bars, restaurants or liquor stores go about stocking Broken Shed? Between America’s Three-Tier System, and differing regulations between states around alcohol sales, it’s not a simple process.

Filtering distributors by state and region, and providing all their contact information means there is a single source for potential outlets or retailers to search, making it simpler to get their hands on some Broken Shed.

Journal

There’s a lot happening in the world of Broken Shed. The team is winning awards, developing recipes, and sharing content from bartenders and consumers alike. This new blog area is the new, searchable home for all these exciting updates.

Creative & websites, working together

As of 2023, Broken Shed is the fastest growing vodka in the United States for the third year in a row. Yes, it helps to have a deliciously clean and smooth vodka that people want to buy. But continuing this growth against players with much bigger brands and budgets shows we understand how to bring together all of the elements that make an impactful creative campaign. 

If you're thinking a new website, digital campaign, or making sure that all elements of your brand are working together to deliver results, let's talk.

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