In November and December 2013, the luxury vodka brand Grey Goose held two events in Singapore for its Grey Goose Guild, a group of visionaries brought together under the brand’s name. The Guild was normally invitation-only, but that year Grey Goose Singapore set aside a few places for members of the public.
The first event was the Grey Goose Guild Iconoclass on 30 November 2013. The second was the Grey Goose Gala on 5 December 2013. Fans could win places at either one by entering through the brand’s Singapore Facebook page.
A guild built around entrepreneurs
The Guild was set up around entrepreneurship. Its members were visionaries in their fields, and Grey Goose organised gatherings where they could meet each other. The Iconoclass followed that idea, giving members a session to network, mingle and swap what they knew about building a business.
The Iconoclass was not only for established names. It was pitched at entrepreneurs and at people hoping to become one. Collaboration was part of the plan, and attendees were encouraged to team up with other members on bigger projects. That made the session a networking evening as well as a talk.
Using social media to give away places was a common way for brands to reach fans in 2013. Grey Goose Singapore ran both of its public giveaways through its Facebook page. Each event had its own way to enter, its own deadline and its own number of places.
The Iconoclass and the Gala
To enter for the Iconoclass, fans sent a Facebook message to Grey Goose Singapore explaining why they wanted to take part. The brand offered two places, so two fans would join the Guild’s visionaries at the session on 30 November 2013. Winners were selected on 20 November 2013, ten days before the event.
The Gala on 5 December 2013 was a party rather than a class. It was held at a historic colonial bungalow at the top of the Labrador Park reserve, on Singapore’s southern coast. For the guests, Grey Goose flew in Reflex, a French DJ duo, to play a one-night-only set.
Entering for the Gala took more steps. Fans had to like the Grey Goose Singapore Facebook page, then share the giveaway post on their own Facebook page along with their favourite Grey Goose cocktail. The deadline was 25 November 2013, and five pairs of invites were offered, enough for ten guests in all.
How the two dates fitted together
The two giveaways overlapped. Iconoclass winners were picked on 20 November and Gala entries closed five days later, on 25 November. The events themselves were five days apart: the Iconoclass on 30 November and the Gala on 5 December 2013. Both giveaways had closed by the end of November 2013, and both events took place in the weeks before Christmas that year.