HIGHLIGHT:

Boulevard x Tech N9ne: Bou Lou

The Background

I’ve been a Tech N9ne fan since I was 13 years old (I’m much older than that now but we don’t have to get into it, okay?). So when two of my Boulevard Brewing Company colleagues approached me in 2017 with an idea to do a collaboration beer with the Kansas City rapper, I blurted out a loud and supportive CHYEAH! (iykyk)

While one of those co-workers reached out to Strange Music (Tech N9ne’s record label) to get an initial gut check, I prepared the pitch for the internal brass at Boulevard. The intersection of hip-hop and craft beer was a road barely traveled at this point – I was a bit nervous, but also excited at the prospects of doing something truly groundbreaking.

After compiling all the talking points I could find about Tech’s prowess as an independent hip-hop artist, his status as a local legend, and the sheer amount of revenue he’s amassed through his loyal and rabid fanbase, I pleaded our case.

And we got a resounding yes.

The Mission

Ultimately, this collaboration went well beyond a simple can of beer. Sure, we knew we could (and would) make something delicious – a pineapple and coconut infused wheat beer inspired by Tech N9ne’s signature drink, the Caribou Lou.

But there were some hard truths to face:

1) Many craft beer drinkers weren’t deeply familiar with hip-hop

2) Many of Tech N9ne’s fans weren’t deeply familiar with the world of craft beer

Ultimately, these hard truths were opportunities. By joining forces and uniting our creative resources as well as our respective loves of music (Boulevardia had been going 4 years strong at this point), we knew that we could set a new precedent for what a collaboration beer can be – and the associated marketing campaigns that help promote, launch and grow it.

My Role

  • I oversaw digital strategy and planning for Boulevard, working in collaboration with the Strange Music marketing team to identify key dates and content for the teaser, announcement, and subsequent continued promotion of Bou Lou. This bled over into 2019 when we brought the beer back again.

  • To round out the digital strategy and planning component, I developed associated content which included photography (you can see some of this work below), copywriting, and webpage development (product page, blog posts, etc.).

  • The 2018 rollout of Bou Lou kicked off with Tech N9ne headlining Boulevardia. Outside of his performance, I planned and coordinated a secondary pop-up appearance for him at one of the specialized bars within the festival where Tech poured Bou Lous for attendees and took countless pictures with fans.

  • The other new and innovative campaign we introduced in Bou Lou’s second year was a ‘mockumentary’ social content series: Temp N9ne. I was proud to call this concept my brainchild, and worked closely with the Strange Music video team to create a slightly ridiculous set of videos that featured Tech N9ne temporarily working in various departments across the brewery.

  • When Bou Lou returned in 2019, we took things up a notch and decided to send the beer out on tour with Tech N9ne. This wasn’t as simple as it sounds, though. These placements required significant logistical work in collaboration with our national sales team and the venues, but we managed to get Bou Lou placed in over 40 venues around the country so fans could sip along to the beat as Tech tore up the stage.

The Announcement

After putting out a cryptic teaser on April 30, 2018, we kept people in anticipation for ONE more week, fully announcing Bou Lou on May 7, 2018. This video was accompanied by a blog post I wrote, outlining the parallel histories of Boulevard and Tech N9ne, their Kansas City roots, and their eventual growth towards global recognition. We also coupled the announcement with a flyaway contest, granting one lucky winner a trip to Kansas City for Boulevardia and a private meet and greet before his performance.

The Visuals

Eight years later, the photography I produced for the initial Bou Lou campaign is some of my favorite work I’ve ever done. I was fortunate to have a model that was easy to work with – Tech N9ne is a fantastic human being and an agreeable model to work with! These shots spanned multiple locations and formats including Tech throughout the brewery, posted up at Strange Music’s headquarters, and styled shots of the beer.

The Mockumentary

When we decided to bring Bou Lou back in 2019 (given its overwhelming success in 2018, we would have been stupid not to), we knew we were going to have to make some efforts to top what we did the year prior. One of those efforts was taking Bou Lou on the road to join Tech N9ne on tour, and snagging 40+ concert venue placements along the way.

But along with joining Tech on the road, we also went bigger – and weirder – with our marketing. Temp N9ne was a series of videos that I was proud to call my brainchild. Our own unique spin on the ever-popular mockumentary style of TV show, each video featured Tech N9ne helping (bothering) people across different departments of the brewery as a temp worker. Mostly scripted with a touch of improv along the way, it was a great way to highlight the fact that while Tech N9ne’s bars are serious, he as a person is a whole lot of fun.