Submitted by The Goat AgencyAgency IPI Score 57/100

The Rum Stripe Corner Shop

Influencer Marketing

A recreated London corner shop launched Heineken's Rum Stripe RTD, with 26 influencers extending the event to over 1.2m organic views on Instagram and TikTok.

1.2MOrganic views

About the campaign

CarGurus wanted brand awareness and direct site leads from social media, without speaking into an echo chamber of existing automotive enthusiasts, and at better cost efficiency than its previous campaigns. Car marketing tends to circulate among people who are already into cars, so The Goat Agency built the campaign explicitly to reach beyond that. Its Ibex technology flagged VFX creators as a strong crossover audience alongside automotive and lifestyle niches, a non-obvious segment that came from data rather than category convention.

The idea split the work into upper-funnel and lower-funnel strands, each with its own creative brief, fronted by 17 creators across three niches with a combined 32.4M following, including Thandibadger, Drake Moschkau and HappyKelli. Content ran on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, amplified with influencer-led paid media, lookalike audiences built from CarGurus first-party data, and retargeting of users who had engaged with the content.

Pairing automotive voices with lifestyle and VFX creators took the brand beyond the enthusiast echo chamber, the two-strand structure let one programme carry both awareness and lead goals, and paid amplification converted attention into reported leads. The Goat Agency reports 53K leads to the CarGurus website, 5M engagements, delivery 142% over the contracted impression target and a lower CPM than previous campaigns. Every figure comes from the agency's own page and is not independently verified. The launch date, market, budget and CPM comparison figure are not disclosed, lead quality behind the 53K figure is not broken out, and CarGurus' own press releases from the period do not mention this program.

Case in 60 seconds

Heineken's new ready-to-drink cocktail Rum Stripe risked feeling generic in a crowded RTD market and losing the cultural credibility parent brand Red Stripe had built over decades in UK Caribbean, grime and dance music communities.

Heineken's first-party data on Red Stripe showed the core audience was young, culturally engaged Londoners shaped by music, nightlife and fashion, people who treat nights out and music events as key cultural moments.

Launch the drink inside its own culture: The Rum Stripe Corner Shop, an authentic recreated London corner shop with props from Ridley Road market, fitted with a DJ booth, a dance floor and fridges stocked with Rum Stripe and Red Stripe.

Over 100 creators, artists and journalists attended, with sets from D Double E, Sir Spyro and Tiffany Calver. Afterwards, 26 influencers ran always-on Instagram and TikTok content covering nights out, DJ mixes, New Year celebrations and a trainer giveaway, refined in real time via social listening and retargeting.

The campaign drew over 1.2m organic views on social media per trade press, and the agency reports a Shorty Awards finalist spot for Best Launch Campaign. No sales or brand-lift figures were disclosed.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Young, culturally engaged Londoners influenced by music, nightlife and fashion, identified from Heineken's first-party data on Red Stripe drinkers.
Red Stripe carries decades of credibility in Caribbean culture, grime and dance music in inner-city UK communities, and a spin-off product launched carelessly could read as a corporate cash-in on that heritage.
Ready-to-drink launches in a crowded alcohol market easily feel generic and interchangeable, so a new RTD needed a specific community and aesthetic rather than a broad announcement.
Rum Stripe positioned itself as a lifestyle brand growing out of Red Stripe's existing place in London music culture, hosting the culture rather than borrowing it for a stunt.
For this audience, nights out and music events are the cultural moments that matter, so the launch had to be a genuine night out that creators and attendees would want to share, not an ad.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • The Rum Stripe Corner Shop event set with DJ booth, dance floor and stocked fridges
  • Instagram content including night-out Reels
  • TikTok influencer content
  • Branded football shirts, billboards, flyers and merch from the agency design team
  • Creator fashion items inspired by Rum Stripe

Partners

  • The Goat Agency
  • D Double E
  • Sir Spyro
  • Tiffany Calver

Participation mechanic

  • Invite-only launch event for creators, artists and journalists
  • Bespoke trainer giveaway
  • Retargeting of users who engaged with campaign content

Creator role

  • Performers with established ties to UK grime and dance music
  • 26 influencers producing always-on content after the event
  • Attendee creators posting follow-up content such as night-out Reels

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult typeConfidence
Organic views1.2MreachAgency reported

Awards & Recognition

Award showYearCategoryResultSource
Shorty AwardsNot statedBest Launch CampaignFinalist—

Why The Goat Agency's strategy worked

  1. 1

    A brand extension can inherit credibility when the launch is staged inside the parent brand's existing culture, here Red Stripe's place in London grime and dance music.

  2. 2

    Client first-party data can shape creator casting and audience definition, not just media targeting.

  3. 3

    A single physical event can seed a longer always-on programme, with 26 influencers extending one night into months of Instagram and TikTok content.

  4. 4

    Authentic staging details matter: props from Ridley Road market and a credible artist lineup made the corner shop feel organic rather than branded.

  5. 5

    Real-time social listening and engagement-based retargeting let the team refine messaging while the campaign was live.

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