The Canadian Navy is celebrating its centenary this year and Alexander Keith‘s is joining the party in the Maritimes.
The Labatt-owned brewery, which prides itself on a deep East Coast history, is producing special commemorative bottle caps, one for each of the 18 Canadian Navy vessels based on the East Coast. The ships’ badges will replace the traditional stag’s head cap on all bottles in the Maritimes for a couple of months this summer.
Aside from demonstrating the brand’s support for the men and women of Canada’s East Coast naval forces, the promotion is simply good business for Keith’s, said Wade Keller, Labatt director of corporate affairs for Atlantic Canada.
“If you think of Halifax, a few different things come to mind but maybe the top two would be the navy and Alexander Keith’s,” said Keller. “So there is a natural partnership for us there, that is just a given.”
The navy and civilians working for the navy, particularly in Halifax, make up a sizeable portion of Keith’s target market, so it made sense to attach the brand to what will be a major event for that community, the 100th anniversary, for much of the summer. In late June, for example, ships from other navy’s will be visiting Halifax during International Fleet Review Week, bringing another 7,000 to 10,000 sailors to town–many of whom like a beer or two. Signage in liquor stores, pubs and bars will promote Keith’s affiliation for the Canadian Navy.
The special crowns were unveiled at a ceremony Tuesday on-board HMCS Charlottetown.
“Throughout 100 years of distinguished naval service to Canada, all of our ships and submarines have been identified by distinctive crests. Today our crews proudly display their ship’s crests on badges worn on their naval combat dress,” explained Rear Admiral Paul Maddison, Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic. “It means a lot to us to have Keith’s as a supporter in our celebrations, and I know our sailors will be keen to collect full sets of these special crowns.”
The commemorative caps will start appearing in East Coast liquor stores within weeks. The program will run for a couple of months, or for as long as they last, and a limited number of special backgrounds for mounting the crowns will be available.
