The 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) begins this week, March 25, and thanks to the official spirit of this year’s festival, Jameson Irish Whiskey, festival-goers and consumers alike will be able to watch the content in more ways than one.

During the festival and after, Jameson will be handing out a newly developed stubby holder that unlike others, drinkers will be able to use to watch exclusive content from the festival.

The new stubby holder, which comes with any purchase of Jameson Premix, has been developed with contactless communications developer, Tapit. By tapping the stubby holder with their Android phones, consumers will get instant access to a range of content from the festival, as well as the opportunity to enter competitions and engage with the brand.

Brendan Moynihan – Shopper Activation Manager at Pernod Ricard Australia (PRA) (distributor of Jameson), said the new, innovative stubby holders will provide the perfect platform for Jameson in Australia and help to engage the brand with consumers.

“Jameson is doing incredibly well in Australia – we’re growing in double-digits year-on-year. Globally, Jameson is heavily involved in film, which provides a fantastic platform for the brand. We believe that comedy is another perfect match and an ideal platform to further establish the brand in Australia”, Brendan explained.

“At PRA, we always strive to leverage our above-the-line campaigns and sponsorship properties and bring them to life in-store, delivering full campaign integration.

“Initially we had the idea of the stubby holders, which really is something any brand can do, but for us we wanted to look at how we could tie it back into the festival and deliver added value for the consumer.”

“The beauty of Tapit is that through the use of an Android phone, you can direct the person holding the phone to anywhere – it can be to a link, Facebook page or competition for example. Throughout the festival, we’ll be looking at updating the content daily.”

The stubby holders have additionally been rolled out across trade, which Brendan says will further help to engage with its drinkers during and after the festival. Brendan also said that PRA is exploring how they can continue to work with Tapit to communicate with its audience.

“The kits have already gone out into the trade and we’ve received a fantastic response from consumers and trade. But I think the biggest thing for us is the engagement, and just because the festival ends on the 19^th of April, doesn’t mean that should stop. Functionally it will always be a stubby holder, but we will then look at continuing to feed brand messaging through to our consumers.

“There are other campaigns that are currently being explored by PRA using Tapit that could potentially take it to the next level. I think we’re only scratching the surface of what could be an amazing platform, delivering deeper and more meaningful consumer engagement.

“It’s a very different and innovative way of talking to our audience.”

The festival begins in Melbourne this week, March 25 and runs until April 19. For more information on MICF visit www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/