Vintage Vibes, Modern Moves: Bringing Hooch Back to Life

Interested in how we stirred up their success on socials? Read on as we chat with our Account Manager, Dom Rekas, to learn more about this exciting client.

Can You Tell Us Where It All Began?

“Hooch had kept their social media in-house for years, with their last agency for social and PR dating back to 2014. So when Global Brands issued a fresh brief for social media management, we saw an exciting opportunity. Our team jumped in with a dynamic pitch, featuring a robust social strategy and a distinctive style guide. With this, we were able to secure the role of managing both their organic and paid social media, prepared to refresh and elevate their online presence”

What Was The Strategy?

“Our strategy for Hooch focused on understanding where the brand currently stands and where it wants to go. Hooch, which first launched in 1995, has a strong following from its early days but also needed to appeal to a new audience. Our goal was to connect with both long-time fans and new consumers.

To do this, we looked at what competitors were doing on social media and figured out what might work for Hooch. We also examined Hooch’s current audience and how they interacted with the brand online and offline.

Based on this, we developed a content strategy with key focus areas. We planned content that taps into nostalgia for longtime fans while also creating fresh, engaging posts to attract new people. This balanced approach aimed to highlight Hooch’s unique brand and appeal to both existing and new audiences.”

What Type Of Content Needed To Be Created?

“To make Hooch’s social media presence stand out, we focused on creating content that taps into both nostalgia and current trends to fit our target audience of old and new consumers. Our strategy was built around a few key content pillars including socialising, nostalgia from the 90s and 2000s as well as bartender stories.

We aimed to capture the fun and social aspects of enjoying Hooch with friends at pubs and bars. This approach led to ‘come along with me’ style videos filmed in lively venues, capturing real-life scenes showing just how much people love Hooch.

We’ve also been able to attend multiple events to film some amazing content. We recently attended the Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB) trade event in Manchester, where we filmed engaging content such as bartenders sharing funny stories, and introduced Hooch’s new cocktail offerings. At the event, we set up an arcade machine for giveaways and created playful content like ‘Guess Hooch’ to generate buzz.

Overall we’ve been creating a variety of content pieces to highlight the brand's heritage whilst keeping it fresh and relatable, ensuring that Hooch resonated with a wide audience.”

What Have Your Highlights Been Working With This Client?

“Since taking on the account management of Hooch when I joined Together in February, we’ve seen some impressive results. A few of our posts have gone viral organically, showing strong performance without any paid promotion. For instance, when Big Brother premiered, we capitalised on the moment by creating reactive content, including a Louis Walsh clip and nostalgic posts that resonated with fans.

Our cocktail videos, which have been a fairly new addition to our content strategy, have been a hit. We introduced creative spins on cocktail recipes, like the “Sticky Gooch,” which racked up 1.1+ million plays, and the “Creamy Gooch,” with 907K+ plays. These engaging and cheekily named videos have caught the audience’s attention and generated significant buzz.

Recently, we launched a collaboration with Salt Brewery, introducing a lemon-infused pale ale. This new product allowed us to merge audiences from both brands, with influencer reviews and a launch event in Leeds to create further excitement. Alongside organic content, we ran paid campaigns across Meta, Google, and X.

We also created a YouTube ad as part of the always-on campaign featuring an actor’s voice-over. The ad has been a hit, perfectly summarising the brand and resonating well with both the client and the audience. Overall, the highlight is being part of the team and seeing our content do well and resonate with Hooch’s audience, we can’t really ask more than that.”

Did You Face Any Challenges And How Did You Overcome Them?

“It’s been a pleasure working with Hooch, thanks to their collaborative and trusting approach. Having previously managed everything in-house we understood that transitioning to an agency model would require a strong communication channel. We’ve maintained constant contact with them to ensure everything runs smoothly and that we’re aligned at each stage.

However, managing an alcoholic brand comes with its own set of challenges. Navigating the strict regulations surrounding advertising posed a hurdle for us. For instance, TikTok’s policies prohibit influencer collaborations and paid ads for alcoholic beverages. To overcome this, we shifted our focus to other platforms such as Instagram, where we could effectively engage influencers and audiences.

We also wanted the content to feel as authentic as possible. That’s why we’ve filmed in various venues and at events to capture the essence of socialising with Hooch. We implemented a batch filming strategy, attending multiple locations in one go to maximise content creation and efficiency.

Throughout creating all of our content we have had to be mindful of promoting responsible drinking. Our approach avoids depicting excessive consumption and ensures our content reflects that responsible drinking message. For example, when showcasing a pitcher of Hooch, we featured multiple people enjoying the beverage responsibly rather than focusing on individual consumption. Maintaining this balance is key to upholding a positive image for the brand and adhering to advertising guidelines.”

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Bringing Hooch back to life has been an exciting adventure. By mixing nostalgia with fresh ideas, we’ve revitalised this classic brand for today’s audience.

We’ve shared how we refreshed Hooch’s social media, from creating engaging content to overcoming challenges. With viral posts and creative campaigns, we’ve shown how blending old and new can make a brand shine.

Curious to see if we can do the same for your brand? Get in touch to find out more about our approach.