Steam Whistle Brewing has partnered with the revamped music site ChartAttack.com on a new online show called Noisemakers. The 18-episode series, which debuts Friday, features interviews with notable independent and alternative musicians.
Tim McLaughlin, partnership manager for Steam Whistle in Toronto, said that the program is aimed primarily at young adults 20-30, for whom music is a big part of their lives.
Music and the arts is one of the core marketing pillars for the craft brewer, said McLaughlin, who called Noisemakers an extension of the brewer’s ongoing “Unsigned” concert series profiling independent musicians.
“We really felt the fit was right,” said McLaughlin, who led the internal initiative for the beer maker. “[We wanted to] remind people that we’re big supporters of music throughout the year.”
While Steam Whistle uses both print and radio advertising, sponsorship is its primary marketing tactic. According to McLaughlin, the company sponsors “well over” 400 events each year.
“Supporting events and causes at the grassroots level is really how we’ve built our brand,” said McLaughlin. “They’re great opportunities to get our beer into people’s hands.”
While Steam Whistle has done digital work through both its YouTube channel and web site, the partnership with ChartAttack.com represents one of the first times it has worked with an external partner on a digital initiative.
“We wouldn’t work with someone that didn’t feel authentic and genuinely interested in finding great music and shining the spotlight on it, and that’s really why ChartAttack.com was the right fit,” said McLaughlin. The fact that Steam Whistle would also be granted “creative input” into the show was also a factor, he said.
ChartAttack.com was acquired by andPOP, which bills itself as “one of Canada’s largest source for multiplatform pop culture news,” in October 2011. The company has pledged to revive the site through the use of what it calls “targeted content,” including a video platform.
While Steam Whistle has less than 1% of the Canadian beer market, McLaughlin said that craft beers are one of the fastest growing segments. “We’re not looking to over-extend ourselves, but our goal is to become the choice craft beer for Canadians,” he said.
Ontario and Alberta are Steam Whistle’s primary markets, although it is also beginning to grow its presence in Vancouver, said McLaughin.
