Firkin Pubs has a new favourite charity: beer-chugging university students and recent grads. The Firkin Group of Pubs will award five “firkin worthy” university students with a $5,000 “donation” that they’re calling the “Un-Scholarship.”
While most scholarship programs award students starting off their post-secondary education, Firkin is giving away the un-scholarships to students who have already completed at least one year of study. By awarding current students and recent graduates, Firkin will ensure that they are celebrating their target demographic, instead of the freshmen that aren’t of legal age to enter a Firkin pub.
“We’re always looking for unique ways to get into the community,” said Larry Isaacs, marketing director of Firkin Pubs.
Firkin is inviting customers to join the Firkin University Facebook group or visit FirkinUniversity.com to apply for the bursary. The website also features profiles of candidates, and in the fall users will be able to log in and vote for who they think should win one of five awards.
The online presence is the start of an integrated campaign, led by Jan Kelley Marketing and GCI Canada, that will include in-pub materials and a radio campaign starting in late June. However the emphasis will be on the online presence, to connect with the target market of social networking addicts.
“Students and recent grads have certainly been known to congregate at their local pub, but most of them are also interacting and chatting with friends in the online world as well,” said Isaacs. “With the help of our agency partners, Firkin has bolstered its online social network and expanded its list of potential candidates for our ‘Say FU to student debt’ program.”
“We’ve had an amazing response so far,” said Krista Benz, account director of Jan Kelly Marketing. Over 130 members have joined the Facebook group before the traditional advertising began.
Firkin will also be projecting video ads onto walls in club districts during key clubbing weekends this summer
