A passerby in Tbilisi puts on a VR headset and starts touring Ireland. Irish countryside. The streets of Dublin. A traditional Irish bar. Then the headset comes off, and the “virtual” bar is suddenly real. A pop-up pub has been built around them in seconds, complete with actors and Irish stereotypes, and beer in hand. The reveal does not explain the slogan. It makes the slogan unavoidable.
The idea in one line
Use virtual reality as misdirection, then land the brand promise by turning the “virtual” experience into a physical surprise.
What happens in the stunt
Old Irish is a new craft beer entering Georgia. Leavingstone takes a line that could sound like every other beer claim, “100% real,” and makes it literal.
- Invite the public into VR
People on the streets of Tbilisi are offered a VR “tour of Ireland,” including nature, Dublin streets, and a typical Irish bar. - Build the punchline in real life
While they are inside VR, a crew builds a pop-up Irish bar around them. The space is filled with actors performing how locals imagine Ireland. - Reveal the brand promise as a lived moment
The moment the headset comes off, the audience is already “in Ireland,” except it is physically there, and the product is part of the scene.
Why this works
Beer marketing often tries to borrow authenticity through language. This one manufactures it through experience.
The proof is theatrical, but the reaction is real
The campaign bets on ordinary people’s genuine surprise. That reaction becomes the content people want to share.
VR is not the product. VR is the setup
Virtual reality is used as a temporary attention lock so the physical transformation can happen without explanation. The innovation is the transition, not the headset.
The brand promise is delivered in one clean, repeatable beat
“100% real” is not argued. It is demonstrated when the environment jumps from virtual to physical.
Results the agency reports
Leavingstone states the video is posted with a modest placement budget, reaches more than 50% of internet users in Georgia, hits 1 million views in 72 hours, and is followed by first-month sales of 515,698 liters, described as 2x.
The deeper point
When a category leans heavily on claimed authenticity, the advantage goes to the brand that can turn authenticity into an event. This is not “VR marketing.” It is live communication disguised as emerging technology.
A few fast answers before you act
What is the core mechanic?
A VR tour of Ireland distracts participants while a real pop-up Irish bar is built around them, so the reveal converts “virtual” into physical.
Why use VR at all?
It creates a believable reason to pause someone in public, and it buys time to build the physical environment unnoticed.
What makes it shareable?
The surprise is immediate, visual, and human. Ordinary people’s reactions are the story engine.
What is the transferable pattern?
Use an emerging-tech interface as a controlled setup, then deliver the brand promise through a physical, social payoff people can experience together.
What is the biggest risk?
If the reveal does not map cleanly to the product truth, the stunt becomes spectacle with no belief gain.