Building a legacy in the competitive whiskey market isn’t easy, especially when you’re a regional brand aiming for national recognition. But for Yellow Rose Distilling, the challenge was met with creativity and strategic execution. Partnering with Social Revolt, this Texan whiskey brand achieved a staggering 15% growth in audience growth, cementing its status as Texas’s premier whiskey.
Here’s the full story of how collaboration, targeted advertising, and data-backed decision-making drove Yellow Rose Distilling to achieve incredible results. Whether you’re a social media marketer, alcohol brand owner, or brand manager, these lessons are for you.
Establishing Texas Roots with a Digital Transformation
Yellow Rose Distilling came to Social Revolt with a clear vision to become the whiskey of choice for Texans. From its roots as Houston’s first legal distillery, all the way to San Antonio, Dallas and Austin, the goal was to dominate the Texan whiskey conversation.
Challenges Yellow Rose Faced:
- Limited brand recognition among legal drinking age adults who enjoy whiskey.
- A modest advertising budget.
- Reaching a highly specific audience (ages 21+ who love cocktails, whiskey, and nightlife).
- Effectively balancing paid and organic media efforts.
To address these challenges, Social Revolt leveraged paid media, organic posts, and strategic collaborations to grow awareness, engagement, and customer loyalty.
The Winning Strategy
1. Targeting the Right Audience with Precision
Social Revolt started by defining the exact audience Yellow Rose Distilling needed to reach:
- Adults aged 21+.
- People who either lived in, recently lived in, or showed interest in the state of Texas.
- Interests spanning whiskey, mixology, cocktails, bars, and nightlife.
The strategy evolved over time. Initially, ads targeted key metro areas like San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Austin. But by Q3, Social Revolt expanded the targeting to broader areas across the Lone Star State. This single adjustment resulted in:
- Higher engagement rates in the state-wide audience.
- A noticeable increase in CTR (Click-Through Rates) for engagement ads.
2. Optimizing for Data-Driven Results
Throughout the campaign, Social Revolt meticulously tracked metrics like CTR, engagement rates, and cost-per-click. Adjustments were made in real time to fine-tune performance:
- Using “Texas” in ad copy to resonate more deeply with locals.
- Testing different combinations of text and visuals to identify top-performing creatives.
- Allocating more budget to engagement ads, which showed higher ROI for the campaign.
This adaptability ensured Yellow Rose Distilling didn’t just reach their goals, they surpassed them.
3. Beyond Social Media Ads: Crafting an Improved Brand Experience Through Bottle Label Redesign
While the focus of this campaign was digital, Social Revolt also supported Yellow Rose Distilling with offline improvements. By collaborating with the brand manager, head distiller, and vendors, Social Revolt helped redesign product bottle labels. The updated printing process not only modernized the look but also cut production costs, demonstrating how Social Revolt adds value beyond marketing.
Though reorganization within Yellow Rose prevented these labels from going to market, the project reflected Social Revolt’s holistic commitment to brand growth.
The Results:
Social Revolt’s efforts paid off exponentially. By the end of the campaign, Yellow Rose Distilling’s growth metrics were nothing short of remarkable:
- Audience Growth: A massive 15% increase in audience growth across social media channels.
- Engagement Rates: Engagement ads reached CTRs of up to 13%, far exceeding industry benchmarks.
- Lower Costs: Awareness ads performed at a 19% cheaper rate than industry benchmarks.
One key finding? Ads that mentioned “Texas” or embraced the brand’s Texan heritage performed far better across both awareness and engagement campaigns.
Even with the project unexpectedly ending early due to unforeseen circumstances, nearly every goal was achieved within the shortened timeframe.
Key Takeaways
Yellow Rose Distilling’s massive growth was a result of foresight and flexibility to adjust strategies as needed to keep improving. Here are actionable lessons from their success:
Lean into Local Culture
Ads that highlighted Yellow Rose’s Texan identity performed significantly better. Take the time to understand your market, and don’t be afraid to celebrate what makes your brand unique.
Test, Optimize, Repeat
Social Revolt’s willingness to test different ad formats, content types, and targeting parameters made all the difference. Data is your best friend, use it to continuously refine campaigns for better results.
Balance Paid and Organic
By creating 4-6 high-quality posts each month and boosting them strategically, Social Revolt managed to achieve exceptional growth on a modest budget.
Collaborate Beyond Advertising
From improving labeling processes to streamlining production, Social Revolt proved the value of going beyond mere campaign management.
Growing Your Brand With Social Revolt
Yellow Rose Distilling’s success story serves as a testament to what’s possible when creativity, strategy, and collaboration come together. With a focused approach to paid and organic media, even a modest budget can drive monumental results.
If you’re ready to elevate your brand, connect with Social Revolt today.
When you win, we win.
