Fresh off a potentially game-changing victory that will allow more of its beers to be carried by the LCBO and in grocery stores, Ontario Craft Brewers (OCB) is looking to create additional awareness of its members and its products.
The advocacy and marketing organization has partnered with content marketing company Fifth Story to create a campaign timed to coincide with the sixth annual Ontario Craft Beer Week.
The centrepiece of the “Real people behind the real beer” campaign is a three-minute video shot at Steam Whistle Brewing and at Wvrst, a downtown Toronto restaurant renowned for its craft beer selection (23 on tap, and more than 200 varieties in bottles).
It features OCB chair and Steam Whistle Brewing co-founder Cameron Heaps; OCB co-founder and Lake of Bays Brewing president Darren Smith; and Wvrst beverage manager Pat Thomson talking about the importance of consuming quality products and supporting local brewers.
In the video, Heaps says the craft beer industry stimulates the local economy and creates local jobs, typically revitalizing an old building, hiring local people and buying ingredients from local producers.
He says the government’s recent decision to open up additional slots for craft beer at the LCBO and at retail is “levelling the field,” and will lead to increased awareness and availability for the OCB’s more than 50 members.
According to the most recent OCB stats, the LCBO’s sales of craft beer – including value brands – reached $250 million in 2013. Sales are currently growing anywhere from 20-30% a year.
The video is part of what Fifth Story creative director Stephen Stanley described as a “tri-media” package that also includes radio and print. It will be distributed via Fifth Story’s national network of radio broadcasters, print editors, online editors and bloggers, with additional coordination provided by Boost PR.
The video will also be promoted through OCB’s owned media channels, including its website and social media pages.
The OCB effort comes amid an increasing number of content marketing plays, as marketers and agencies continue to gravitate towards storytelling.
“The idea of creative departments is no longer just specific to the agency world,” says Stanley, a former member of the Canadian band Lowest of the Low who joined Fifth Story in the newly created CD role two years ago.
“All of the PR agencies are staffing up with creative departments, all of the media agencies are staffing up – everybody is taking a little piece of the pie.”
