It turns out that when Sleeman Brewries recently shuffled some of its advertising accounts, it was part of broader marketing reorganization designed to deal with the craft beer market’s rapid growth nationwide.
Once upon a time, craft beers were made by small breweries and distributed locally to well-heeled, older drinker with a taste for a quality brew.
Then the major breweries started to notice a dent in their market share and began buying up these small players and turning them into national brands. Now Labatts owns Kokanee, Molson has Granville Island Brewing and Sleeman owns Okanagan Spring. As distribution takes Western Canadian brands such as these east, beers like Toronto-based Mill Street Brewing and Steam Whistle are finding their way to B.C. liquor stores as well.
Sleeman Breweries recently restructured its marketing department, said Glen Jessup, director of marketing for Western Canada, with each region taking the lead on two brands. Now Okanagan Spring and Old Milwaukee are managed from the B.C. office, the Sleeman and Sapporo labels are overseen from the home office in Guelph, Ontario and Unibroue is being managed out of Montreal.
“That allows us national scope of the brand and ownership, but with a regional touch,” he said. “We are starting to expand across Canada. We have had quite a bit of success in Alberta and we are growing leaps and bounds in Ontario. As the craft category expands, we are seeing an opportunity for Okanagan Spring.”
Last month Sleeman announced that it was moving Okanagan Spring from Dare Vancouver to Open in Toronto, and doubling the annual marketing budget to close to $2 million. Old Milwaukee – which Jessup said sells particularly well in B.C. – has also gone to Open.
New creative for Okanagan Spring is expected to break around mid May, and Jessup said that for 2013, at least, it will focus on its western heritage.
“Our roots are in B.C., where the lineage dates back to 1985,” he said. “Outside of B.C. we think we can market the brand as a piece of British Columbia, and we believe that the province of B.C. is aspirational to people particularly in Quebec and Ontario.”
Jessup said to expect the advertising to target a 25-to-32-year-old demographic. “We are never going to attract that young mainstream university drinker that’s looking to party, but we don’t want to be Dad’s beer either.”
