'Here's to you, Canada' makes Molson Canadian the toast of the town

Communication World, April-May, 2003 by David Jones

In 2001, Molson Canadian launched its integrated I "I AM Canadian' marketing communication campaign, effectively drawing Canadians into a vast exploration of their patriotism with a toast of Molson Canadian beer.

BUSINESS NEED/OPPORTUNITY

After discovering that its target market of legal-drinking-age to 24-year-old males was extremely proud of its Canadian heritage, the Molson Canadian marketing team was determined to make a strong showing early in 2001 with an advertising campaign that would maintain the momentum the brand developed the previous year.

The result was "Here's To You, Canada," a 45-second ad celebrating all that is great about Canada as seen through the eyes of a new citizen. The ad's hero toasts the unique qualities Canada possesses, culminating in a passionate finale where he and fellow citizens proudly hoist their beer and declare, "I love this land, I love this country and I AM Canadian!"

'Here's To You" debuted on 3 April 2001, to coincide with the beginning of prime beer-selling season and one of the most competitive periods for breweries--National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs: To help the campaign approach the levels of awareness desired, Molson Canadian asked Thornley Fallis Communications to come, up with special event that would tie in to the ad and bring the brand's stance as the "Canadian beer For the proudly Canadian guy" off of the television screens and into the collective consciousness.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES

* Create a special event modeled after a scene in the ad that would reach 30,000 people live and 1 million people through media coverage.

* Drive people to the "I AM Canadian" web site (www.iam.ca).

* Reinforce Molson Canadian as the brand that stands for Canadian pride.

* Legitimize the brand's "Canadian pride" badge through participation from the federal government.

INTENDED AUDIENCES

* Current and future Molson Canadian drinkers

* Current and future visitors to the brand's web site (www.iam.ca)

* Current shareholders

* Entertainment and sports media used to reach both beer-drinkers and shareholders

SOLUTION OVERVIEW

The marketing team conducted considerable research. It reviewed a rough cut of the ad to determine scenes that could be connected to a special event. The team also identified core thrusts behind the brand's pride campaign and "Canadian pride" target market research. The next step was to contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada to determine protocol for corporate involvement with citizenship events. Then the team contacted NHL teams to determine interest in working with Molson Canadian to co-promote the ad.

During its research, the team determined that the ad could contain a Canadian citizenship ceremony scene. The federal government, indeed, was interested in Molson Canadian's unique advertising campaign and was open to new ways to raise the profile of its citizenship ceremonies. The research and groundwork culminated with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators hockey teams signing on to the ad campaign.

STRATEGY

Thornley Fallis recommended a special event that would bring the citizenship ceremony from the ad to life, and official Canadian citizenship ceremonies were organized in Toronto and Ottawa preceding NHL playoff games in each city. These events would help reinforce Molson Canadian's connection to the hockey teams it sponsors and the target market's stated pride about cultural diversity and hockey.

EXECUTION

Members of the marketing team were soon moving full speed ahead to launch the campaign:

* Event Coordination: The team prepared speaking notes and vital message points for Molson spokespersons. Retired NHL hockey players were asked to participate in the citizenship ceremonies, and a reception for the new citizens was organized.

* Media Relations: An aggressive campaign focused on television was imperative in order to reach as many beer-drinkers as possible. The team developed media advisories/invitations and news releases and made follow-up calls to ensure media attendance at both events.

* Challenges: A number of challenges arose along the way. Top of the list was ensuring that the federal government was comfortable cooperating with a beer-sponsored event. Also, in the end the NHL teams in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary were unable to participate. Money was an ongoing concern for the marketing team, which had a limited budget of CDN$25,000.

But in the end, the majority of the team's carefully researched and executed plans came together, and Molson Canadian and its marketing partners could raise a glass to a job well done.

RELATED ARTICLE: MEASUREMENT & EVALUATION

Molson Canadian and its consulting partner, Thornley Fallis Communications, delivered on each of the brand's goals/objectives:

* The combined in-arena attendance at the citizenship ceremonies and hockey games in Toronto and Ottawa was more than 37,000 when pictures of Canada's newest citizens and the 'Here's To You' ad were shown on the scoreborads.

* There were 20 media hits on the citizenship ceremonies, generating in excess of 17.8 million impressions, with an equivalent advertising value of CDN$211,000. Coverage appeared in eight print media and one Internet publication; 11 television stations included the events in their broadcasts.