To celebrate its 17th birthday, Mike’s Hard Lemonade pulled a stunt fiery enough to break a world record: The brand placed 50,151 candles on a massive cake in Los Angeles on April 13, and then lit them ablaze for a dramatic marketing photo op—and a Guinness World Record. BeCore Experiential Marketing Agency produced the event, dreamed up by the creative team at Mike’s: creative director Kevin Brady, social media associate Kellye Lopez, content producer Dan Ottolin, and graphic design coordinator Nolan Libuano.
So how did Mike’s come up with the unusual number of candles? The brand posted a message on Facebook inviting fans to help celebrate the occasion: Mike's said it would add a candle to the cake for every like or emoji engagement on the post. More than 50,000 weighed in.
The event took place at the outdoor space at BeCore, where attendees included brand reps and fans. Guinness World Record adjudicator Christina Conlon was also on site to certify that the stunt indeed broke the previous world record of 48,523 lit candles on a cake. In a statement, she congratulated the brand for breaking the record, and added, “What makes this so exciting and special is the unique, unconventional way Mike’s chose to celebrate its 17th birthday—by enlisting its fans to help the brand make history.”
