Why drinks brands are a different category to manage.

The drinks industry has its own rules. On-premise relationships, distributor dynamics, liquor licensing constraints, responsible service obligations — these shape what you can say, where you can show up, and who you can reach. Most generalist PR agencies learn this the hard way. Example has operated inside this category for close to a decade. We know how a campaign lands differently in a venue activation versus a retail push. We understand the difference between a prestige spirits play and a volume spirits play, and we write and pitch accordingly. That category fluency is why brands like Patrón Tequila trusted Example with an AMEA-wide mandate, not just a local one.

What earned-first looks like in the drinks category.

Example runs on an earned-first philosophy. That means we build brand relevance through editorial, cultural credibility, and advocacy — not paid media patches. For Grey Goose, that translated to 670% year-on-year growth in coverage quality and reach. For Don Julio, it meant a 129% sales uplift tied directly to a sustained earned programme, not a paid amplification spike. Our pitching is specific, not broadcast. We identify the journalists, food and drinks editors, hospitality writers, and cultural commentators who actually move the needle for premium drinks consumers, and we build relationships with them over time — not just when we have something to announce. When we place a story, it sticks. When a brand is part of an editorial narrative, it compounds. That is the difference between a campaign and a programme.

From launch to long-term brand building.

Example works across the full drinks lifecycle. New market entries, product launches, seasonal campaigns, on-premise activations, brand repositioning, and long-running retained programmes. Our retained clients stay for years, not months, because the work compounds. The relationships we build with media and cultural gatekeepers in year one pay dividends in year three. We have managed retained programmes for Patrón Tequila, Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire, and Moutai — brands with different personalities, distribution models, and target consumers. We adapt approach without diluting rigour. We track results at the account level, and we measure what matters: coverage quality, share of voice, on-premise presence, and where relevant, sell-through data tied to campaign periods.

Sydney, Dubai, and the corridors between them.

Example operates from Sydney and Dubai, with active presence across Australia, the UAE, the wider Middle East, and Asia Pacific. For drinks brands expanding from one region into another — or running parallel programmes across markets — that dual-market fluency matters. We understand how a luxury spirits brand needs to show up differently in a Sydney rooftop bar versus a Dubai hotel lounge, and we have the relationships in both markets to execute without hand-holding. If your brand has AMEA ambitions, or you are managing a regional mandate that requires consistent brand behaviour across multiple markets, Example is one of the very few independent agencies that can run that without a network of franchised partners.

Common questions

Q: We already have a global PR agency. Can Example work alongside them on a regional basis?

A: Yes, and this is a common structure for AMEA-mandate brands. Example operates as the regional lead, handling in-market relationships, media, and activations while aligning to global brand guidelines and reporting directly into the global or regional marketing team. We have worked in that structure with several of our current retained clients.

Q: Do you only work with premium or luxury drinks brands, or do you take on emerging labels too?

A: Our strongest fit is premium and prestige — brands where cultural credibility and editorial quality matter more than volume reach. That said, we have worked with emerging brands that have a clear positioning and a genuine story to tell. What we do not do well is commodity spirits plays or purely retail-price-driven campaigns. If the brand is built around quality, provenance, or a genuine cultural idea, we are worth talking to.

Q: How do you measure the success of a retained beverages programme?

A: Coverage quality over volume, share of voice against key competitors, on-premise presence and velocity, ambassador and advocacy reach, and where the client can provide it, sell-through data during campaign periods. We report monthly and flag early if something is not performing. We do not pad reports with impressions numbers to make things look better than they are.

Q: What does a retained beverages PR engagement with Example actually look like month to month?

A: A dedicated team, a forward content and pitching calendar built around brand moments and cultural opportunities, proactive media relationship management, regular reporting, and direct access to senior leads — not account coordinators. We run lean and senior. The person who pitches your account is the same person who developed the strategy.