Sampling a tasty way to launch new beer

Written by Shirley Lichti for The Record, October 18, 2006

Imagine my surprise when two university students rang my doorbell in late July and, instead of trying to sell me something, gave me a six-pack of beer. While there may be no such thing as a free lunch, Brick Brewery in Waterloo was giving away beer to promote the launch of the J.R. Brickman Founder’s Series label.

Norm Pickering, vice-president of marketing at Brick, said that the company used geodemographic research to identify high potential consumer groups for its new premium craft beer. These groups were defined as well-educated, well-travelled, affluent consumers with refined tastes.

The Founder’s Series consists of three unique, flavourful beers (Amber, Pilsner and Honey Red) designed to appeal to consumers with a sense of discovery and adventure. Cluster analysis research showed the most fertile target regions in Ontario were the Ottawa area and Kitchener-Waterloo Region.

Armed with this data, four key customer groups were identified for the launch campaign: Brick's own employees, bar owner/managers, serving staff and consumers.

Branding starts within a company, so internal employees, recognized as ambassadors who help spread the word about products, were trained to speak knowledgeably to consumers about the new offerings.

For the bar owner/manager segment, Brick Brewery identified 50 key accounts in Kitchener-Waterloo and 50 more in Ottawa. To answer the question, “What will your brand do for me?” Pickering said the company "seeded" the product to show that the Founder’s Series would drive traffic and profits.

A special sell-in kit was sent to key accounts and followed up by an in-person call by a sales rep and Brick Brewery owner, Jim Brickman.

Bar serving staff were identified as the third key group for the launch campaign. Training on how to taste beer was provided to on-premise staff to educate and engage them to sell the Founder’s Series.

Very little money was spent on advertising to reach the last group, consumers. Rather than focus on traditional mass marketing techniques, Pickering said the company “targeted at the street level with below the line, experiential programs.”

The intention for this part of the campaign was to create awareness, build the brand and put product in the hands of the consumer. Sampling was deemed the best way to do this.

In bars, consumers are often treated to small tastes of new products. However, to launch the J.R. Brickman Founder’s Series, full bottles were used, with 35,000 given away between June and September.

The sampling was also carried out with door-to-door drops of six-packs containing two bottles each of the new Amber, Pilsner and Honey Red beers. In Ottawa, 2,200 drops were made. Locally the target was 1,500, but supply constraints allowed only 871 to be delivered.

Student ambassadors doing door-to-door drops also conducted research, asking householders about the brand of beer usually purchased, plus the names of restaurants and bars they frequent. The marketing team cross checked these names against the list of key accounts.

As part of the door-to-door sampling program, consumers were given a six-pack of beer as well as glossy marketing materials. The Brick Brewery gave me and other lucky recipients tasting notes to accompany our free samples and plenty of information to educate us about the new product line.

In the local market, consumers also received a coupon for a tour of the brewery, a free tasting and $5 coupon that could be redeemed at the store inside the Waterloo brewery.

Although Pickering does not yet have data on coupon redemption rates, enticing consumers to visit a retail outlet where competitive products are nowhere to be found was smart marketing, especially given the pre-Oktoberfest timing.

The last part of the sampling program was carried out through special events targeted to members of the Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce. A direct mail campaign offering in-office tastings to business professionals in July and August resulted in over 300 events.

So far the campaign has enjoyed high levels of success. According to Pickering, sales of the J.R. Brickman Founder’s Series at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario have doubled volume expectations only three months after being launched.

There has been tremendous feedback from existing key accounts. And the company has established 25 new accounts in Ottawa and half a dozen more locally, where Pickering noted Brick Brewery already has a good base.

Although Oktoberfest festivities have ended, Pickering is not resting on his laurels. Next year he plans to extend the campaign to the Greater Toronto Area next year, introducing more consumers to the spirit of Gemuetlichkeit and to the Founder’s Series.

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