Not many companies would be willing to sponsor a strip show. Burlesque dancers however—who tease the crowd but don’t drop their drawers—are safe enough to attach a brand to and sexy enough to sell it. That’s why Hendrick’s Gin is presenting the Toronto Burlesque Festival, which kicks off this Thursday.
Toronto Burlesque Festival is exactly the type of event that appeals to the Hendrick’s demographic, said Hendrick’s Gin brand manager Carolyn McFarlane. Hendrick’s drinkers are free-spirited, creative types who are curious and adventurous enough to partake in quirky, whimsical events like burlesque, she added.
The brand previously sponsored the New York Burlesque Festival, which put Hendrick’s on the burlesque community’s radar, and the Toronto Burlesque Festival was a good opportunity for Hendrick’s at a reasonable cost.
“Hendrick’s is approached by a lot of different groups for sponsorship, but unfortunately I have a [limited] budget,” McFarlane said. “I have to make decisions that fit and make sense.”
McFarlane said Hendrick’s strives to keep its marketing and promotions unique, attaching itself to smaller and cultural events that create a greater impact through word-of-mouth.
“I don’t have the funds to do media,” McFarlane said. “Media can be very in-your-face, while the brand is more subtle.”
Because festival events are in restaurants and bars, Hendrick’s is also able to activate the sponsorship by offering a special “Gin Buck” Victorian-era cocktail at all four festival venues, as well as hosting a tasting at the Gladstone Hotel’s Art Bar on Thursday night.
Though burlesque has been popularized by celebrities like Dita Von Teese, and mainstream brands like Holt Renfrew have embarked on burlesque-inspired marketing, McFarlane said she doesn’t think burlesque will loose its underground appeal.
“I don’t think burlesque will ever become mainstream, because I think that goes against the grain of what it is.”
