White Claw’s Twitch activation was the big bang of 2020 trends

Through a live stream in which participants could control a an arcade-style ‘claw’ to claim prizes delivered that same day, the US’s #1 hard seltzer brand, White Claw’s recent Twitch events point a way to the future of live events.

Why it matters: Hard seltzer? Check. Twitch? Check. Gamification? Check. E-commerce? Check. Local delivery strategy? Check. Collapsing branding and sales opportunities? Check. The brand’s latest effort points as much to the opportunities as the challenges of post-pandemic marketing.

The White Claw Winter Games, which took place in three events between the 21^st and 23^rd of December in Philadelphia, Boston, and Miami, saw participants enter, win prises, and to have them delivered within 30 minutes by partners goPuff.

Breakdown:

• According to the brand, the activation was a very new but important way to reach the “huge overlap between our customers and Twitch’s core audience,” said John Shea, CMO at Mark Anthony Brands, White Claw’s owner. It’s a large and growing audience.
• It marks a handful of leaps forward for the CPG category, which has seen e-commerce penetration soar during the pandemic. On-demand delivery is likely to be increasingly important.
• A crucial challenge has been to create and capture demand, which Twitch as an advertising platform is very good at: many users are ready to interact and even to purchase.

Sourced from Modern Retail