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Find me best-in-class brand activation case-studies for beer brands (especially Canadian/ in Canada brands)
Hello, and thank you for your request of best-in-class brand activation case studies for beer brands, particularly Canadian or in Canada. The short answer is that after extensive research, I only been able to find one case study that fits your true request of a best-in-class brand activation case study. This case study involved Old Irish Beer launching in Georgia. Although I was unable to locate the 3 to 5 case studies that come standard with Wonder research, I did locate three other case studies that come close to answering your question, and five marketing campaigns from beer companies that may be interesting but don't speak to your exact question. Below you will find a deep dive into my methodology and the results of my research.
METHODOLOGY
To answer your question, I consulted corporate websites, industry reports, user forums, and trusted media sites. I looked for case studies or campaign results for the best in class examples of brand activation within the beer industry, preferably in Canada. Next, I broadened my search to include global brands. Where possible, I looked at the agency that was responsible for the campaign to look for case studies or campaign results. I searched the WARC database for case study examples. After two hours of searching, I found one example of best in class brand activation marketing, which was Old Irish Beer launching in Georgia. I was also able to find three more case studies that address parts of your question: the first involves Stella Artois re-introducing themselves to the Canadian market, the second involves Kokanee beer reintroducing themselves with the production of a full-length movie, and the third is the story of Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in The World. I can't confirm that the Stella Artois campaign or the Dos Equis campaign are considered best-in-class by any criteria and Kokanee was already an established brand at the time of their marketing campaign. For these reasons, I don't believe either are an exact fit to your question. However, they may provide helpful insight.
Additionally, I identified some example of marketing in the beer industry that may be of interest to you, but that I do not believe directly answer any part of your question. I have included links a brief descriptions at the end of this brief.
OLD IRISH BEER
The best example of best in class brand activation by a beer company was performed by Old Irish Beer in the Georgian market. The Old Irish slogan says that it has a traditional Irish taste, but that marketing approach fails to differentiate them from their competitors. To back up their slogan, they created a virtual reality experience that engaged the participants and provided material for a meaningful ad campaign that brought their claims of being a traditional Irish beer to life for the Georgian market.
In the video, a woman asks participants on a street corner to try on a virtual headset and take a virtual tour of Ireland. The tour ends in an Irish pub with a surly bartender handing you a pint. Unbeknownst to the participant, movable panels were arranged around them while they were wearing the head set, and when they remove the virtual reality device they are staring at a real life surly bartender holding out a bottle of Old Irish. The ad shows what looks like a night of drinking in an Irish pub, complete with rounds of singing.
The meaningful experience that Old Irish Beer created gave them a second chance to convince the beer drinkers in Georgia that their slogan was authentic. The ad campaign was created by Leavingstone and won 18 awards.
I was unable to find data about the effect of the campaign on sales or market position for Old Irish Beer in Georgia.
STELLA ARTOIS
Stella Artois wanted to re position themselves as a premium beer in Canada. In September 2015, they created a pop-up experience that immersed participants in an experience over dinner that included a Michelin chef, a film maker, a composer, and an aromatic scientist. These professionals converged to offer a multi-sensory experience to underscore that our surroundings change the way we perceive flavor. This experience and other experiences around experiences such as during hockey season or Canada Day reach customers in meaningful ways beyond a digital interface or passive advertising.
KOKANEE BEER
Kokane beer wanted to reintroduce themselves as a cutting edge beer and appeal to a younger crowd in Canada. They created a 90 minute movie which was both a stand alone comedy movie (it was the number one release) and a marketing campaign with high audience engagement because the company encouraged fans to audition for various roles in production. The movie was called The Movie Out Here, which is a play on the company's slogan, "It's the Beer Out Here." After the release of the movie, the health score of the brand was 21% higher than expected and the market share they gained was 6% more than they had hoped for.
DOS EQUIS
One of the most well known beer campaigns in the US is the Most Interesting Man in the World, by Dos Equis. Dos Equis research team found that most men are scared of being boring. They also found that 60% of Dos Equis consumers drink while watching sports. Pairing these two pieces of data, they launched the Most Interesting Man in the World campaign and sponsored college football. The company has seen an increase in their market share.
POSSIBLY OF INTEREST
- Dunes Beach Beer. This is a Canadian company and the article I've included discusses some of their marketing strategy. This is neither a complete case study nor a best in class example.
- Guinness. This example is not brand activation, but it talks about how Guinness used a life experience to market themselves to customers who were already drinking the beer.
- Corona. This is a link to the ad Corona launched in Europe involving a beach hotel they created from trash. The marketing campaign is very interesting and marries concepts of activism with experiential marketing. But this does not address a brand activation campaign.
- Andes Beer. This source is, at best, a description of an ad that Andes Beer had. It may be of interest but it does not fit into brand activation, best in class, or provide much data for a case study.
- Sam Adams. This is an example of a popular April Fool's Day campaign, but it does not provide case study data or seem to correlate to brand activation.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, although the information you requested is not readily available online, I did locate several case studies that come close to your question or answer part of your question. If you'd like us to begin some additional research on the peripheral case studies I've mentioned, just let us know!
Thank you for using Wonder.