Following a successful launch in Autumn 2007, Spanish beer brand San Miguel is bringing its Hidden Depths series of music and media events back for a second year.

The concept and campaign, focused around young urban people who like to discover new things and look beyond the obvious, has been created and developed by experiential Amplify. The aim of San Miguel Hidden Depths is to challenge consumers to “look that little bit deeper” as they are given a rare insight into the musical and visual inspirations of some of the UK's most intriguing artists.

Integrated campaign
This year, the series will consist of five one-off events held in London and Manchester. They began in June and will conclude in September, with each one being curated by a different guest host from the worlds of music and multi-media.



Scratch team: DJs at one of San Miguel's Hidden Depths events

PR agency Brando will be working alongside Amplify to implement a 360-degree campaign, with the primary aim to increase the number of San Miguel drinkers. Brando's carefully targeted print, broadcast and online campaign kicked off with the first Hidden Depths event on 26 June at London’s Soho Revue Bar, hosted by Wall of Sound's visionary founder Mark Jones.

The campaign will include talent publicity, establishing links with on-brand third parties and promoting the events through secret teaser DJ sessions, media relations and by offering unique experiences to press and consumers.

Building excitement
The launch night will be closely followed by four more events in London and Manchester, each curated in turn by The Glimmers, Secret Sundaze, Chromeo and It's Pop It's Art. The hosts will be briefed to invite their own friends, inspirations and label talent to perform – with the full line up not revealed until the night itself to stimulate word of mouth interest.

"Aimed at people who like to look a little bit further, San Miguel Hidden Depths is a series of unique collaborations between San Miguel and the guests invited to curate," explained San Miguel brand manager Elena Iborra. "By creating unique partnerships with the artists, we can gain their direct endorsement for Hidden Depths, which acts as a powerful communication tool. Social currency is key for this audience, so the marketing campaign aims to get consumers to spread the word on San Miguel's behalf."

Spreading the word
Amplify will be developing and managing a social media campaign involving online seeding and word-of-mouth, ensuring that the endorsement for the brand and the Hidden Depths property comes from the target consumers' trusted sources, such as blog sites.

To activate and support the campaign, Amplify is building a Hidden Depths community with a CRM-programme being implemented throughout and beyond the period of the events. Consumers will be sent content including podcasts, vodcasts and newsletters, as well as e-alerts that direct them back to an online hub, created by digital communications agency Glass.

Rich content
The website www.sanmiguel.co.uk will act as a home for the events, as well as providing a channel through which to give consumers access to rich content ranging from video interviews, footage and photos from the night, to exclusive mixes and downloadable tracks.

To further engage the right audience and give an additional dimension to the campaign, an illustration competition will be run throughout, with support from a media partnership.

"Without doubt, San Miguel is known as the definitive Spanish lager,” said Jonathan Emmins, managing partner of Amplify. “Going into its second year, the Hidden Depths concept is further building true emotional connections with young urban people, completely along the lines of what San Miguel stands for: 'refreshing with a depth of flavour'. The campaign feels authentic as the brand is behaving like a promoter, speaking to young urban people in their own language and pioneering the use of the untraditional media they consume day in, day out."