7 P’s of the Sports and Event Marketing Mix ___________________________________________________________________

Introduction

Molson Canadian is a proud supporter of hockey, and encompasses the sport in their brand image. This report will outline the seven P’s of the sports and event marketing mix, and how Molson Canadian uses and displays each of the seven P’s.

Mental Map

This mental map outlines three different unique perspectives from individuals who have grown up in different countries. A Canadian thinks of Molson Canadian as a staple in their beer fridge, having it game ready for Saturday night hockey. Molson Canadian encompasses what it means to be Canadian, and have branded themselves appropriately. A person who has grown up in China, associates Molson Canadian with Canada’s quality and flavour of beer, grouping all of our beer into one category, with Molson Canadian standing out as the distinctive beer of choice. In addition, parties and dinners also represent Molson Canadian to someone from China. The final perspective is that from Brazil. They see Molson Canadian as having a light flavour, that will be put into all pubs and bars across Canada. Similar to Canadians, Brazilians also associate Molson Canadian with sports, however instead of hockey, they might associate it with soccer or volleyball. It was interesting to brainstorm about one product, and come up with so many representations all stemming from our native countries.

Social Media Research

Looking at social media platforms gave us a better understanding of what the general population thought of Molson Canadian, and how it was perceived. We looked at Twitter and Facebook in particular, to see people’s thoughts. We concluded that both social media tools displayed similar posts, with the hashtag #AnythingForHockey being at the forefront of posts and tweets. This shows that hockey, and Canadian culture is what makes Molson Canadian such a desired beer. Their brand image allows consumers to connect with them on an emotional level, resulting in the majority of tweets and posts not only being about their quality of beer, but about what the brand stands for.

Identifying the 7 P’s

Product

Molson Canadian is the signature brand of Molson Coors, being named its #1 lager. Molson Canadian is described on their website as being made from “the best this land has to offer”, “resulting in a beer as clean and crisp as the country it came from”. It is clear however, that they are not only selling beer, but a brand; putting heavy emphasis on their Canadian identity. As was already stated earlier, this product has strong ties with hockey and Canadian culture, making the product relatable thus creating an emotional connection with consumers.

Photo/Tweets courtesy of: Twitter.ca

In terms of product from a physical standpoint, Molson Canadian has their original premium lager, as well as ciders, low calorie beer, cold shots, and a new wide mouth resealable bottle for their premium lager.

Price

Molson products are made affordable for the consumer. It is seen as a premium lager with a more affordable price tag when you compare it to brands like Heineken and Stella. According to The Beer Store the price for Molson Canadian are as follows:

Can1 x Can 473 ml… $2.4024 x Can 355 ml… $42.95 24 x Can 473 ml… $49.95

Promotion

 The promotional strategy of Molson Canadian focuses on building a strong connection with consumers and building a brand image. In terms of the 4 key factors, Molson Canadian’s commercial advertising, word of mouth and PR strategy take a more important role than its POS strategy.

Firstly, Molson Canadian’s brand positioning strategy is to express Canadian culture (especially hockey) bringing forth a sense of national pride. A great example of Molson Canadian creating a sense of national pride is their, “I am Canadian” slogan from 1994. (Wikipedia). In addition, Molson chose Canada’s game (hockey) as the most prominent symbol to develop its commercial advertising, PR and word of mouth.

Molson has 3 main promotional campaigns running in 2015, the hashtag #anythingforhockey, Molson Canadian Live, and the Passport/Sing O Canada Fridge.

1. #AnythingForHockey: A hashtag created by Molson that encompasses the sport of hockey. They created a contest on social media where a deserving individual has conquered many obstacles in order to play, hence the hashtag anything for hockey. These deserving individuals are invited by Molson Canadian to have a chance of a lifetime to play the game they love in the Rocky Mountains or “Hockey Heaven”.

Bottle6 x Bottle 341 ml… $11.5024 x Bottle 341 ml… $36.95

Photo courtesy of: molsoncanadian.ca

2. Molson Canadian Live: Focuses on the market of music lovers. They held 3 unique concerts called “Altered States” in 3 cities across Canada. In addition, they are the official beer of many well-known music festivals such as, OSHEAGA, PEMBERTON and SQUAMISH.

3. The Beer Fridge- O Canada: This special fridge is world-renowned. During worldwide sporting events such as the Olympics, this fridge was seen in the host country (ex. Russia, 2014 Winter Olympics), however only those with a Canadian passport could open it to enjoy the beer inside. Now Molson Canadian’s unique fridge has returned home but with a slight adjustment. You must now sing Canada’s national anthem in order to open the fridge. The advertisement for this marketing campaign is both funny and provokes feelings of national pride.

Place

In Canada, Molson Canadian can be sold in The Beer Store, and LCBO. In addition, you can also find Molson Canadian products in bars, restaurants, sports arenas, events and festivals; examples include the Air Canada Center, home to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, and OSHEAGA a music festival in Montreal. On Molson’s official website (in the beer location section), it is possible to find the closest business where Molson Canadian is available. This is a great feature that allows consumers to know where Molson Canadian is sold, in relation to the consumer’s location.

Molson Canadian is directly connected to hockey. Besides drinking Molson Canadian at NHL games, hockey fans can watch their favourite teams in the Molson Canadian Hockey House at participating locations across the country.

Partnerships As the official beer of the NHL, Molson Canadian helps to promote hockey in many ways. Through the Molson Canadian Hockey House, it has partnered with many bars around the country, allowing hockey’s fans to be able to watch the

matches together and enjoy a Molson Canadian beer. This beer brand also sponsors the hockey team from the biggest city in Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Molson is not only present in the world of hockey, but also sponsors the Canadian Olympic Committee. Molson Canadian is proud to be associated with the Canadian flag, making it a patriot beer, helping Canadian athletes celebrate important sports moments.

In partnership with Noisey, Molson Canadian created The Altered States Concert Series. The event was offered to die hard music fans, with the opportunity to watch some of Canada’s biggest acts in unexpected places. Tickets for the event are won and only those who have won will be revealed the details (time, date, venue).

PeopleYoung people tend to drink Molson Canadian products, specifically males 19-24. However Molson has various styles of beers and drinks (Molson 67, Cider) to appeal to more than just the young male demographic. It was smart of Molson to jump on the diet bandwagon and make a low calorie beer to entice those who are watching their weight but still enjoy a cold one every now and then. Due to Molson Canadian not being the most expensive premium beer on the shelves, it is targeted towards the middle class. In addition, Molson Canadian targets itself to Canadians and sports and music lovers, specifically hockey. This is evident through their advertising and partnerships. Their advertising is almost always directed at hockey fans, or at the very least the male demographic. The partnerships Molson Canadian has; NHL, NOISEY, show the deep connection they have with the sports and entertainment world, classifying their target market to those who also enjoy sports and entertainment.

Physical Evidence

The physical evidence demonstrates the quality of service that the provider provides and wants to convey to its consumers, (MBASkool). The most prominent decoration for Molson Canadian is its “half maple leaf” logo, which represents its quality -- high quality Canadian beer material. The package of Molson Canadian is white and red with Molson Canadian in big letters. If conditions allow, the in store display of Molson Canadian would decorate the display stand in striking red and highlight its LOGO, which demonstrates its positive brand spirit.

Molson Canadian has many event opportunities to expose its physical evidence to audiences. For example, people can find Molson Canadian on the scene of a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game, and music festivals such as OSHEAGA.Generally, Molson Canadian’s physical evidence is associated with the colours red and white, a maple leaf as their logo and hockey. These elements are displayed in stores, sport venues and event/festival sites.

Conclusion

This report has examined the 7 P’s of sports marketing and used Molson Canadian as an example of how the 7 P’s are used. It is clear after analyzing the 7 P’s with relation to Molson Canadian this beer is “Canada’s beer” encompassing Canadian values and traditions into their advertising and marketing campaign. So crack open a cold one, and enjoy! Cheers!

Work Cited

“I Am Canadian." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 25 January

2015. Web. 9 March 2015.

"Molson Canadian Altered States Concert Series Puts Music Lovers in the Wrong Place at the

Right Time." Canada NewsWireSep 04 2014. ProQuest. Web. 11 Mar. 2015 .

Molson Canadian.“How it works.”Molson Canadian:#ANYTHINGFORHOCKEY.  Molson

Canadian & NHL,  n.d. Web. 11 March 2015.

"Official Canadian Olympic Team Website | Team Canada | 2014 Winter Olympics." Official

Canadian Olympic Team Website Team Canada 2014 Winter Olympics. N.p., n.d. Web. 11

Mar. 2015.

“PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.”MBASkool:MBA content website. Web. 8 March 2015.