# It's Called Soccer — Social Grab & Contest Playbook
**Mike's notes, cleaned up — 2026-06-05**

The rolling carousel on `itscalledsoccer.beer` isn't decoration. It's the engine for an organic, World-Cup-timed UGC contest that farms a young, local, beer-buying audience we own afterward.

## The core idea
- Hashtag: **#ItsCalledSoccer** (tie to the domain `itscalledsoccer.beer`).
- Anyone who posts with the hashtag gets a **shot at being featured** on the landing-page carousel.
- Every qualifying post is also a **contest entry**.

## How someone enters (must be 21+)
1. Take a photo **with the beer** — you holding it, a fresh pour at the tap, OR it being sold/on the shelf in a store.
2. Post it with **#ItsCalledSoccer** and **tag @itscalledsoccer**.
3. **Follow** the @itscalledsoccer account.
4. **Tag 3 friends** in the comments.

That's the classic engagement-loop "bullshit" that actually works to spread it fast.

## The prize / payoff
- Runs **all summer, during the World Cup** (kickoff ~June 11, 2026).
- At the end of the tournament we **draw winners** and **give away a bunch of free beer**.
- Big enough prize that people actually want to do it → that's what makes it spread.

## Daily operations (low lift)
- **Pull the hashtag every day in Sprout Social** to collect entries + find the best content.
- **Make a dedicated Instagram account** — `@itscalledsoccer` — just for this.
- **Repost people's stories** when they tag us (instant reciprocity → more posts).
- **Post our own** beer shots / pour shots / "spotted at ___" content to keep the feed alive.
- Use the account as the **siphon**: follow-gate + tag-3 mechanic funnels new followers in.

## Amplification
- **Advertise it on the Newport Craft site** too (the "Find It Now" popup → landing page → contest), to push people into entering.
- Done right and fast, this pulls in **a lot of young people** who'll share it forward.

## The long game
- We end up with an **organic audience we own** — a branded following for the beer itself.
- That can **spin off into its own branded site / brand** for It's Called Soccer (separate from Newport Craft).
- If it performs, we **run it again in the fall** with a new push. If it doesn't, we kill it — cheap to walk away from.

## Build status (this dev version)
- Carousel + hashtag + contest explainer paragraph are **live on the page** (placeholder tiles until the IG account exists).
- Swap-in points are all in one `CONFIG` block in `index.html`: `instagramHandle`, `instagramUrl`, `hashtag`, plus `feedImages` (paste a Behold / EmbedSocial / SnapWidget feed or real image URLs to go live with real posts).
- **To go fully live we need:** (1) the @itscalledsoccer IG account created, (2) confirm the hashtag, (3) a feed widget connected, (4) Sprout listening query set up for #ItsCalledSoccer, (5) official contest rules / eligibility (21+, dates, no-purchase-necessary language for compliance).

> Legal note: alcohol UGC sweepstakes have rules (age-gating, "no purchase necessary," state restrictions, void where prohibited). Add a short official-rules page before we promote the prize publicly.
