"CROWN ROYAL PARTNERS WITH SALESFORCE, CROSSMINT AND VAYNER3 TO LAUNCH FIRST ENTRY INTO DIGITAL COLLECTIBLES THIS GIVING TUESDAY"

"Join Crown Royal and Honor the Special People Who Deserve a Crown in your Life with a Unique Digital Collectible That Pays it Forward"

NEW YORK, Nov. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This Giving Tuesday, Crown Royal, in partnership with Salesforce NFT Cloud, Crossmint and Vayner3, will expand its tradition of generosity into Web3 through the launch of the brand's first digital collectible. Beginning Thanksgiving week, Crown Royal invites all U.S. fans 21+ to pay it forward and nominate someone deserving in their life to receive a digital crown collectible. For each crown digital collectible claimed between November 24 and December 31, 2022 (up to 75,000 total), one signature Crown Royal purple bag will be packed and sent as a care package to American military active duty members overseas as an extension of the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project, an initiative designed in partnership with Packages From Home.

On this Giving Tuesday and throughout the holiday season, Crown Royal is removing the physical barriers of their iconic bag-packing program that may stand in the way of amazing acts of generosity and allowing people to digitally honor those most generous as part of "That Deserves A Crown." Now any eligible person can give the gift of giving with this one-of-a-kind digital collectible. Crown Royal partnered with Crossmint—whose mission is to bring digital collectibles to life, by empowering brands and creators to build streamlined checkout and payment experiences—to bring this digital collectible to life. This digital collectible will be open to U.S. resident 21+ adults and will not require a digital wallet, making it easy for consumers to engage. While supplies last, for each claim of a digital crown, one iconic Crown Royal purple bag will be packed in honor of the recipient. Generosity is at the core of the Crown Royal brand that prides itself on honoring individuals "that deserve a crown" year-round by providing support to help communities thrive through selfless acts of service.

"Crown is built on the belief that if you live generously, life will treat you royally! Our mission is to activate in a way that inspires generosity all year round," said Sophie Kelly, Sr. Vice President of Whiskeys Portfolio in North America at Diageo. "This launch takes Crown Royal's spirit of generosity to a new level. We're excited to use web3 technology to not only help consumers recognize special people in their lives who deserve gratitude, but also to support active duty service members through the Purple Bag Project."

The dynamic digital collectible was created by visual and motion designer, Adam Verhasselt whose wide breadth of work spans in-studio photography, video production and NFTs. "Nothing feels better than making something amazing and creating experiences that 'wow' people," said Verhasselt. "Being able to partner with Crown Royal to use this art to help give back makes it even more fulfilling."

Crown Royal has a deep tradition of giving back, and as a long-standing supporter of many from hospitality, service and military industries, they pride themselves on being strong supporters of the most generous people in our communities who selflessly serve others. For over a decade, Crown Royal has ignited exceptional generosity within our communities by giving back to the people and places that support them. Through partnerships with organizations like Packages From Home, the brand has supported over 1 million servicemen and women through the Purple Bag Project that provides food, hygiene, and entertainment items to active duty service members worldwide.

Vayner3, the Web3 consultancy under the umbrella of VaynerX, orchestrated this collaboration around Giving Tuesday and the brand's foray into Web3. "We are honored to join forces with Crown Royal to support this incredible initiative during the Giving Season. The initiative will help fuse the brand's purple bag heritage with today's consumer's modern and digital preferences," said Avery Akkineni, President of Vayner3. This "give first" approach stands out amongst other branded NFTs as an innovative form of brand engagement, paving the way for loyalty program integration in the near term.

Visit web3.crownroyal.com to learn more and participate. Crown Royal reminds everyone 21+ that living generously is not about what you have, but about what you give. And, most importantly, to always drink responsibly.

**Offer is open to U.S. residents only, 21 years or older. Maximum of 75,000 bags donated; minimum of 5,000 bags donated.  Bag will only be donated with first claiming of digital token; to the extent a user otherwise receives an NFT, including on the secondary market, they are not eligible to access, use, receive, or enjoy any utility, including, without limitation, any donation. Donation contingent upon recipient's compliance with NFT Terms. Donation to be made on/after 3/2023. No charitable benefit to individual participants.

About Crown Royal
Crown Royal Canadian Whisky is the number-one selling Canadian whisky brand in the world and has a tradition as long and distinctive as its taste. Specially blended to commemorate a grand tour of Canada made by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 1939, Crown Royal's smooth, elegant flavor and gift-worthy presentation reflect its regal origins – it is considered the epitome of Canadian whisky. For more information, visit crownroyal.com. Crown Royal encourages all consumers to please enjoy responsibly.

About Diageo North America
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.

For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance, visit www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow on Twitter and Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.

About SalesForce NFT Cloud
Salesforce NFT Cloud is one of Salesforce's latest innovations, which allows for brands to quickly and easily create and distribute NFTs, while also enabling them to manage and leverage NFT data across the rest of their solutions: everything from marketing to sales, service, and commerce. The Salesforce Customer360 is all the more powerful when powered by Web3 data.

About Vayner3
Vayner3 is a consultancy under the umbrella of VaynerX exclusively focused on guiding the world's leading enterprises and intellectual property owners in the next iteration of consumer behavior, and navigating the ground-breaking and ever-evolving world of Web3. For more information, you can visit: www.vayner3.com.

About Crossmint
Crossmint provides infrastructure for developers and enterprises to create and distribute NFTs at scale, in minutes, without the need for wallets or crypto. Crossmint's suite of APIs and tools includes products for minting and delivering NFTs, a fiat on-ramp, and custodial wallets. For more information, visit www.crossmint.io

About Packages From Home
Packages From Home is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to send care and comfort packages to Active Duty military members stationed or deployed overseas (to include military working dogs & military K9 teams) as well as homeless, transitioning, and at-risk veterans by providing them with requested food, hygiene, and entertainment items to boost morale and quality of life. The care packages and supplies provided by Packages From Home are tokens of love and gratitude to these heroes for their many sacrifices in service of our freedoms as Americans.

Diageo Contact:
Michelle Gattenio, [email protected]

Taylor:
Crown Royal, [email protected]

SOURCE Crown Royal