Grammy Award-winning artist Macklemore has long been a vocal advocate for those fighting substance addiction and has been open in discussing his own struggles in that realm. Now, the “Thrift Store” rapper is backing a beverage brand that has made supporting individuals in recovery its central mission as an investor and the new creative director at ready-to-drink yerba mate maker CLEAN Cause.
Based in Texas, CLEAN Cause is available in over 10,000 stores nationwide and donates 50% of net profits (or 5% of net revenues, whichever is larger) to fund sober living scholarships and prioritizes hiring people in recovery. To date, the company has provided 2,823 sober living scholarships, valued at over $1.4 million.
The brand is also a fast rising player in the emerging yerba mate set. In 2019, the company closed a $7 million Series A round and in 2020 it brought on former Red Bull executive Chad Peffer as its president and chief commercial officer.
With Macklemore on board, CEO and founder Wes Hurt told BevNET that the brand expects to bring its message to a much larger mainstream audience.
“People see celebrities backing brands and it’s a common play, when you can actually get a celebrity interested and a lot of the time it’s a financial decision for them, how much money are they going to pay me?” Hurt said. “But Macklemore is the real deal. He’s an authentic guy, who’s experienced tremendous success, but still encapsulates humility and grace for folks in recovery. Because he’s lived it. So I think why this is so powerful and meaningful to us is that he’s so authentic and our interests are aligned, and he’s giving us so much.”
Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, is accepting the title of Creative Director for the brand, which Hurt admits is a lofty role typically assigned to full time employees. However, the “One Love” performer is taking a hands-on approach to the brand’s marketing, Hurt said, presenting ideas for ad campaigns and providing his music and image in multiple ways.
CLEAN Cause is now preparing two new campaigns aligned with Macklemore. The first is a “Scan the Can” program where cans of the drink will contain a QR code that will link to exclusive content, potentially including “secret songs” or chances to win concert tickets and VIP experiences, Hurt said. While the cans are rolling out now, he noted that the campaign is evergreen and the content behind the QR codes may change over time.
The company has also filmed a three-minute commercial featuring Macklemore that will premiere on streaming services which highlights the experiences of individuals in recovery while also seeking to celebrate life. Titled “Drink to This,” Hurt said the ad – a first for CLEAN – strikes a positive tone that emphasizes the ways that sober living has benefitted people’s lives.
“I’ve always tried to balance the brand with such a heavy initiative to give back,” Hurt said. “You could go the Sarah McLaughlin route, with her singing in the background over the dogs that are starving. But that is not my push. Our push is to celebrate life and honor those lives that are lost. So we don’t look behind, we’re looking forward. We don’t look down and cry, we celebrate.”
While Hurt acknowledged that Macklemore’s schedule as an entertainer means he won’t always be prominent in the Creative Director role day-to-day, he said the singer is constantly providing ideas for new marketing initiatives and that he will approve all creative content before it is made public.
As for the business, Hurt said CLEAN is aiming to continue to double down on its existing footprint, which includes Whole Foods, Kroger and Natural Grocer accounts along with an ecommerce presence on Amazon, Walmart.com, HEB.com, Instacart and its own website. The hope now is that Macklemore’s involvement will increase online sales and fuel higher VPOs in existing accounts.