Diageo’s “Hipster” Flask
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Client
Diageo
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Segment
Video
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Reach
900K views, 51K likes, 287 comments
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Launch date
10/05/2021
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Budget
50L+
Overview
Diageo India — Hipster Flask Launch
Media.Monks · Freelance | Role:
Influencer Research, Vetting & Campaign Coordination
Diageo India partnered with Media.Monks to launch the Hipster Flask, a compact, pocket-sized scotch flask, on Instagram through lifestyle influencer content. The brief was clear: create genuine, organic-feeling visibility for the product while navigating Instagram's strict policies around alcohol advertising. Every post had to look natural, feel lifestyle-first, and remain fully compliant.
As campaign manager, I was responsible for identifying and vetting influencers, building the creative compliance framework, and managing end-to-end coordination across creators, agents, and approvals.
10
Influencers activated
verified creators
1,087+
Total comments
across all posts
20L+
Budget
full compliance
2021
Campaign period
Mar–Jun
Campaign Posts
More than 8 verified Instagram creators were activated across the campaign period (March–June 2021), spanning both Black Dog Reserve and Black & White Scotch flask variants.
@shibaniakhtar
"Currently in LOVE with these scotch flasks! Pocket sized perfection for all occasions."
3 Apr 2021 · 38 comments
@krystledsouza
"Love how these pocket sized scotch flasks find so many ways to fit right in with my outfit."
9 Apr 2021 · 145 comments
@ankushbahuguna
"Loving this new pocket sized hipster flask. So cool and yet so convenient to carry around!"
19 May 2021 · 873 comments
@sanjanabatra
"Bringing in the weekend with these perfectly sized scotch flasks, adding fun to my backyard brunch!"
25 Jun 2021 · 31 comments
Strategy & My Role
Influencer Identification & Vetting
- Identified verified lifestyle creators with 500K+ followers and mature audience demographics essential for alcohol brand compliance.
- Selected creators whose existing content aesthetic aligned naturally with the flask's premium, compact, everyday-occasion positioning.
- Ensured each influencer had a track record of responsible sponsored content flagging, avoiding creators with past compliance issues.
Compliance-First Creative Direction
- Built a briefing approach that led with lifestyle and product design rather than alcohol consumption, keeping posts platform-safe and on-brand.
- Coordinated mandatory disclosures (#Spon, #DrinkResponsibly) into the creative naturally, without disrupting the organic feel of each post.
- Reviewed all content before publication against Instagram's alcohol advertising policies and Diageo's own brand safety standards.
Coordination & Pipeline Management
- Served as the single point of contact across all 8+ creator activations, managing communication with influencers, their agents, and internal approvals.
- Tracked content submission, review cycles, and go-live dates across all workstreams simultaneously with zero missed deadlines.
Results
- All posts published and remained live, with zero content removed or flagged by Instagram.
- Consistent use of #ScotchHipster, #JustGotHip, and #DrinkResponsibly hashtags created a coherent brand conversation across all creators.
- Campaign executed across two product variants (Black Dog Reserve and Black & White Scotch), successfully introducing both flask formats to new audiences.
What I Learned
Alcohol influencer campaigns live or die at the vetting and briefing stage, not at the production stage. The compliance work I did before any creator posted was what made the visible work possible. @ankushbahuguna's 873-comment post is a good illustration of this: his content was native to his voice and humour, which is why it performed. That only happens when the brief gives a creator real creative room while holding firm on the non-negotiables. That balance between brand safety and creative authenticity is the hardest thing to get right in this category, and this campaign got it right.
