British beer brand Hobgoblin is running a live online gameshow to be streamed on Halloween, putting a mischievous twist on a familiar format with Wheel of Misfortune.
As part of the wider ‘Season of Mischief’ campaign, Wheel of Misfortune will see fans applying to take part via social media, with a lucky few selected to appear in one of four live shows.
These broadcasts will be live-streamed on the night of Halloween itself, via the Hobgoblin Facebook page and the brewery’s website.
This is believed to be the first time a UK drinks brand has made such a move.
While the campaign will put £5000 up for grabs, it also mocks the TV gameshows of yesteryear with a series of tongue-in-cheek runner-up prizes – from a fondue set to his-and-hers sheepskin coats.
Chris Keating, marketing manager at Hobgoblin, said:
“For our ninth consecutive year as the ‘Unofficial Beer of Halloween’, we wanted to do something big and a little bit different. We’ve taken the collective fun factor of a TV gameshow, brought it into the social media age and added a hint of Hobgoblin mischief.”
The move builds on an established commitment to social media marketing by the Marstons-owned Wychwood Brewery, following a series of successful online campaigns.
Most recently, the company’s Wych Brew Are You campaign generated over 15,000 Facebook interaction and 10,000 votes, many via a Buzzfeed-style quiz designed to appeal to the millennial market.
Halloween is the UK retail industry’s third largest event, and sees sales of Hobgoblin peak annually. The festival lends itself particularly well to pubs and drinks brands this year, falling on a Friday.
Wheel of Misfortune will be live-streamed at 3:00pm, 6:00pm, 9:00pm and 11:00pm on 31 October, via the Hobgoblin Beer Facebook page and the Wychwood Brewery website at www.wychwood.co.uk/live.
The campaign is devised and run by PR and social media agency Clarity Comms.
Watch the promo video here: