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“The Very First Night” of Trivia
How Wilmington Brew Works Used Swifties for a Successful Launch
It goes without saying that this is Taylor Swift’s world. Most of us are just living in it—but some are absolutely thriving.
Take Wilmington Beer Works, a hopping brewery and taproom in Wilmington, DE and a recent addition to the ever-growing Geeks Who Drink family. Before jumping into regularly scheduled trivia nights, management decided they wanted to kickoff with a themed quiz: Taylor Swift Trivia.
It was more than just a smart move. The event had a full house with a whopping 59 teams of happy customers—who will definitely remember the night “Forever & Always.” Here’s how they did it.
Finding Your Audience
Wilmington’s choice of theme was a calculated decision. “Swifties” is a very specific demographic to go after; notably, one that wasn’t a large portion of Wilmington Brew Works’ customer base. The goal was to actively appeal to people outside the traditional brewery demographic—middle aged men—and identify a new group of potential customers. Wilmington Brew Works identified a small section of their clientele and worked to foster that relationship, rather than catering to the customer base they already had. Advertising Taylor Swift Trivia put the venue on some people’s radar for the very first time and brought in plenty of new customers.
Setting the Scene: Mocktails, Cocktails, and Merch
Once Wilmington Brew Works identified their target audience, they were able to develop their event even further. That started with enhancing the things they already had at their disposal.
After adding some Swiftie-specific cocktails to the menu, Wilmington went through their existing menu and temporarily changed some item names in their system. Then they went a step further and added edible glitter to their cocktails. BOOM. Instant “Bejeweled” vibes, at low effort and low cost. These shimmery cocktails became a central, eye-catching part of Wilmington’s marketing on social media, which got a ton of engagement and built excitement for the event.
It was important to play to the aesthetic of their audience, but also critical to prepare for the logistics. The staff knew that Taylor Swift Trivia would likely bring in a lot of moms and daughters, some of whom wouldn’t be able to indulge in alcoholic beverages. That’s why, prior to the event, the bar was stocked with mocktail options so no one had to miss out on “Tay Tay themed drinks.”
Another way Wilmington Brew Works was able to cater to their younger audience was with special merchandise options. The venue ordered friendship bracelets, heart-shaped sunglasses, and Taylor sweatshirts so players could take home a souvenir from the night and celebrate in “Style.”
Long-Term Goals
Wilmington Brew House saw an amazing turnout of more than fifty teams; that’s hundreds of paying customers who came out for their Taylor Swift trivia event. Will all of them become weekly regulars? Maybe not, but they’ll help Wilmington with some of the best marketing there is: word of mouth.
Every player that tells a friend or posts on social media about the great time they had at Wilmington Brew Works’ trivia night is reaching more potential customers. Their families and non-Swiftie friends are the second wave of customers the event brings in, and they just might become regular customers. Then Taylor Swift trivia becomes an advertisement for Wilmington Brew Works trivia nights that’s already made them money. That’s the kind of thinking that makes this more than a successful theme night, but a successful launch.
Key Takeaways
There’s plenty to learn from Wilmington Brew Works TSwift trivia event, both for venues new to trivia and those who’ve made it a staple of their schedule.
- Themed trivia can be an amazing tool to expand your company’s reach and bring in new customers.
- Even simple food and drink specials can add a ton of value to your event.
- Eye-catching visuals like special cocktails are a great way to build excitement on social media.
- Fostering a good relationship with short-term customers can still have long-lasting benefits.
If Taylor Swift isn’t your speed (gasp!) then not to worry. Geeks Who Drink offers more than a dozen theme quizzes, ranging from decades trivia to holiday film favorites to your favorite binge-watchable shows. For more information, check out our list of current theme quizzes