CofC Students Create an Insta Happy Hour Scene

^{Above: The students behind Sip N’ Save (l–r), Mia Rolli, Charlie Murphy, Angela Jager, Chase Reddish and Maya Tysvaer}

The going-out scene in Charleston is vibrant, diverse and – unfortunately – quite pricey. That’s a problem, especially for college students and young professionals. So, what do you do when you want to enjoy being out on the town without blowing your budget?

Two words: happy hour. 

And now, thanks to a team of five College of Charleston communication students, it takes no time at all to find a good happy hour deal. Their social media brand Sip N’ Save showcases Charleston’s budget-friendly sipping scene on Instagram through lively reels, vibrant photography, local business collabs and artful storytelling. The account was launched in January and has already accrued a following of more than 660 (and counting!), with views reaching into the thousands.

Apparently, the team found a table that wasn’t being served.

“We noticed that there were absolutely no accounts on Instagram dedicated only to highlighting happy hour deals,” recalls the team’s leader, sophomore Maya Tysvaer. “We wanted to try to help our fellow students save some money while still having a good time!”

“Sip N’ Save has gotten a massively positive reaction from our followers,” shares team member, sophomore Charlie Murphy. “It’s something a lot of people didn’t realize they needed, and we are so happy to help the community to have fun at a good price.”

So, how exactly did the team get started?

Although the rule is typically no phones in the classroom, Sip N’ Save actually began as a class project for SNIP: Strategic Narrative in Placemaking. Based on a partnership between CofC and Explore Charleston, this class bridges the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Department of Communication by engulfing students in content creation, brand development and targeted storytelling within Charleston’s travel and tourism scene.

And that means social media is on the class agenda.

“In a nutshell, a core assignment in the class is to form teams and launch a social media brand serving sectors within travel and tourism in Charleston,” says the course instructor, adjunct professor of communication George Stone, former editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler and executive editor of National Geographic magazine. “Student teams are tasked with producing, implementing, measuring and analyzing travel content on a social media feed with targeted tactics that support visitation strategies, community stakeholder benefit and visitor experience.”

A key goal of the course is to establish foundations of support, exposure and training for students interested in careers in travel and tourism, particularly marketing, media, destination promotion and tourism development. 

“Technically, this is called ‘destination storytelling,’ and what we are focused on is serving visitors with timely, reported, visual narratives that encourage exploring Charleston in a smart and surprising way,” says Stone, adding that the other teams in the course covered hotels, retail, events and outdoor adventure. “The Sip N’ Save team chose to focus on the going-out/sipping scene with a focus on happy-hour specials. I’m blown away by the ingenuity of these students and I think it’s a really impressive effort.”

Indeed, Sip N’ Save quickly grew to be more than just a classroom assignment. By giving students crucial boots-on-the-ground experience in social media storytelling, the project actually guided them toward their potential career paths.

“Sip N’ Save helped me realize how much I love creating campaigns that bring people together,” says team member, sophomore Mia Rolli. “Promoting happy hour deals isn’t just about discounts; it has become about designing a brand that adds value to everyday life for students and young professionals by bringing them together, and that’s exactly the kind of marketing I want to do in my career.”

Adds teammate, junior Chase Reddish: “This class has really sparked my interest in the social media marketing side of communication. Running this account has been my favorite school project I’ve ever worked on, and I’m proud to be a part of such an amazing group and class.”

Junior Angela Jager shares a similar sentiment about their team collaboration: “Working with my teammates has been such a great experience. Everyone brings so much creativity and dedication to the account, and it’s made the process feel more like fun than schoolwork.”

Now that the semester is over, the team is considering continuing Sip N’ Save and possibly licensing or franchising it out to establish a presence in other college campuses or towns. After all, happy hour isn’t just a Charleston phenomenon.

“Sip N’ Save has practically gone viral,” Stone enthusiastically remarks. “They have defined a brand voice, aesthetic experience and content delivery that’s easily navigated and shared, and followers have responded to them in droves.”

More importantly, he adds: “They have learned a ton, and their work is just remarkable – highly visual, appealing, professional quality, great reporting and essential information. It’s just all so good!

So, cheers to the Sip N’ Save team – or maybe we’ll save the cheers until the next happy hour!