Covid-19 has hit most businesses around the world very hard, and Canada is no exception; 32% of small businesses are unsure if they will be able to reopen, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. As questions around job uncertainty, economic collapse and communities being broken continue to arise, Molson Canadian, a brand that epitomizes Canadian values, challenged themselves to authentically contribute to the community that they belong to: the community of brewers. Hundreds of independent craft breweries struggle as they rely on their tap rooms and local retail to keep afloat. Molson Canadian wanted to find a way to support one another, including their own competition, to weather the storm.
The Idea
Molson Canadian’s role of empowering Canadians to Rep Our Home means more this year than ever. And there was no better time than this year’s Canada Day. The brand decided to champion drinking Canadian beer, any Canadian beer, by encouraging people to #MakeItCanadian. It’s Molson’s way of making Canada feel like one big community, celebrating our home together, even if we’re apart. As part of this integrated campaign, We Are Social was tasked with using social media as the lead channel to reach out directly to brewers, both craft and big brands.
We deployed hundreds of custom Tweets to entice brewers to join in, and those that agreed were included in the world’s most Canadian case of beer ever. Canadians across the country caught notice and joined in by tagging their favourite brands encouraging their participation. An e-commerce experience then allowed users to create a custom case of Canadian beer from those brands involved, all thanks to Molson Canadian who championed all Canadian beer rather than their own.
The Results
Through social, we reached out to over 300 different brewers within a week inviting them to join our most Canadian case of beer ever. And over 40 different craft and national brands quickly agreed to participate giving us a wealth of content opportunities to celebrate these brands and what makes them unique.
Each time a brand came on board and each Canadian who received a case we used our Twitter and Instagram channels to share the news. Our Instagram engagement rate increased 327% and Twitter 113%. Share of voice increased 108% vs pre-campaign. As an agency we are extremely proud to have been invited to play a crucial role in this meaningful campaign, especially during these times when Canadian brands need to be leaders and support their community.
