Hotel Tango Case Study

Dittoe PR’s Launch of Hotel Tango ‘Shmallow Leaves Media Wanting S’More

With consumer affection for nostalgic campfire treats and the continued growth of the flavored whiskey category, Hotel Tango Distillery recognized an opportunity to create a spirit that is both approachable and adaptable. Enter the mouth-watering ‘Shmallow Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon—a bonfire in a bottle.

To get in front of a new consumer segment, Hotel Tango reached out to Dittoe Public Relations and was eager to earn national lifestyle media coverage for the first time in its nearly decade of business.

Challenge

With consumer affection for nostalgic campfire treats and the continued growth of the flavored whiskey category, Hotel Tango Distillery recognized an opportunity to create a spirit that is both approachable and adaptable. Enter the mouth-watering ‘Shmallow Toasted Marshmallow Bourbon—a bonfire in a bottle.

While Hotel Tango is no stranger to launching innovative whiskeys and bourbons that appeal to traditional whiskey enthusiasts, the company wanted to reach and appeal to a new audience. With the launch of ‘Shmallow, the brand sought to reach a younger generation of rookie bourbon drinkers as well as a female audience.

To get in front of this new consumer segment, Hotel Tango reached out to Dittoe Public Relations and was eager to earn national lifestyle media coverage for the first time in its nearly decade of business.

Solution

Dittoe PR’s strategy included product distribution of ‘Shmallow to media, reaching out to them months in advance of their coverage of the latest fall seasonal product launches. In addition, the agency worked with Hotel Tango to create batch cocktail recipes for media who were thirsty for cocktail concoctions their readers could bring to a fall bash.

Dittoe PR targeted national consumer, foodie and regional markets that were key for Hotel Tango across the nation. Regional media markets required a local hook in order to make ‘Shmallow relevant, so the agency focused on markets with large Hotel Tango fan bases and additional tasting rooms to secure lifestyle broadcast and print placements. Among Dittoe PR’s goals was to position marshmallow flavor as the new pumpkin spice of the season.

Hotel Tango Results

‘Shmallow launched in July 2022. Dittoe PR’s personalized media outreach efforts led to immediate national media placements reaching Hotel Tango’s new target audiences of Millennials, Gen Z and females, including Thrillest, Delish, VinePair, PurWow, Yahoo! Life and Trend Hunter.

‘Shmallow then erupted across broadcast media with over 100 TV segments in more than 30 states, including one dozen hits in Hotel Tango’s target media markets. In the two days following the TV coverage, over 100 bottles of ‘Shmallow were sold.

Additionally, Dittoe PR secured media coverage for ‘Shmallow in prominent beverage and spirits trade publications, including The Whiskey Wash, The Bourbon Review and BevNET Magazine.

In Q3 2022, Dittoe PR generated the following results for Hotel Tango:

    The high volume of media coverage also played an integral role in driving website traffic for Hotel Tango. In Q3, the brand saw nearly 4,454 new users to its website, making up 10% of website visitors (new vs. returning). Delish was the #3 referral source to Hotel Tango’s website in all of Q3, resulting in website traffic from 115 visitors who read the Delish story. Multiple pieces of additional media coverage landed in the top 50 referral sources for the Hotel Tango website.

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