slbc coming to america
DESCRIPTION
The background and story behind Strangford Lough Brewing Company. We are based in Killyleagh, Co Down, Northern Ireland and produce a number of beers which are currently becoming available all over America. This presentation gives information about our beers, our marketing ethos, imagery, our website and current competitions.TRANSCRIPT
Strangford Lough Brewing Company
Coming to America!
Company Profile
Company Profile
Established: May 2004
Owners: Bob Little and Tony Davies
Headquarters: Bradleigh Lodge
22 Shore Road
Killyleagh, County Down, Ireland
North American Office: 15282 Long Street
Overland Park, KS 66221
John O’Keeffe (VP of North America
Brands: St. Patrick’s Ale Barelegs
St . Patrick’s Best Legbiter
St. Patrick’s Gold
In a perfectly placed location
An Innovative Business Model
Promote Genuine Irish Authenticity Irish Wort produced in plant in County Down Increase level of County Down produce “From Field to Glass”
Export wort to USA, not bottles of beer Authenticity remains Transport costs reduced by 95% Hedge against currency fluctuation in local currency Avoids alcohol taxation
Work with entrepreneurial partners to sell beer Exclusivity in geographic areas to build networks, not competition Spread across the USA quickly Breaking the traditional mould
“From field to glass”
Our Products
Brand: Legbiter
Brewers Notes: A golden ale with fresh fruit and malt fragrance. Full drinking with a subtle hoppy finish. Refreshing for a beer of this strength.
Alcohol Content: 4.8%
Brand: Barelegs Brew
Brewers Notes: A golden ale with fresh fruit and malt fragrance. Full drinking with a subtle hoppy finish.
Alcohol Content: 4.5%
Our Products
Brand: St. Patrick’s Best
Brewers Notes: Light and refreshing on the palate our session best bitter has a classic Irish malt and hop aroma. Light amber in colour this smooth beer has hints of caramel and shamrocks.
Alcohol Content: 4%
Brand: St. Patrick’s Ale
Brewers Notes: A deep sopper traditional Irish Ale with highly developed and complex flavours. A multi-brew with a fresh aroma of golden hops.
Alcohol Content: 6%
Brand: St. Patrick’s Gold
Brewers Notes: Our smooth yet powerful wheat beer is unusually refreshing on the pallet. Golden in colour St. Patrick’s Gold has a citrus flavour provided by the zest of real oranges and lemons.
Alcohol Content: 4.8%
Our Products
Marketing Premise
Marketing PremiseHow was it done in the past?
Television, radio and newspapers were traditionally used to inform the public about the product
Big beer companies spent millions promoting their ‘product’
Public Relations firms focused on getting column inches in newspapers
Drawbacks of the ‘old’ approach
Rapid growth of digital media has resulted in difficulties reaching your audience
Fewer people read print advertisements in newspapers or magazines
Traditional methods are becoming a less cost effective means of targeting your audience
Today the approach is different – Into the New
Increasingly people are using the Internet – over 73% of US population
People want authenticity, participation and interaction
The internet allows companies with an interesting story to reach people and companies worldwide
Internet allows the opportunity to create and strengthens a community feeling
Today there are new rules for Marketing and PR
Marketing is more than just advertising
PR is for more than a mainstream media audience
You are what you publish
Delivering relevant content at the precise moment our audience needs or wants it
Develop content that will reach the vast numbers of underserved audiences via the web
What key messages will SLBC bring to the market?
Strong imagery linking us to County Down Our Irishness is key - ‘the Irish Beer’
Uses unique exporting methods which will change traditional thinking about beer imports - ‘the Real Irish Beer’
Uses local County Down products – it will set the standard for others to reach - ‘the Authentic Irish Beer’
Our beers are superior in taste to both American domestic and craft beers – ‘the Quality Irish beer’
Marketing Imagery
Labelling
Based on the Strangford Droplet – possibly the water that Saint Patrick and Magnus Barelegs sailed on
Anchored to the area by local history
American labels stress the differences in the approaches used by SLBC
SLBC Company Website
One website for the whole business
Global yet local
Interesting and different
Packed with information
Educational
Interactive
Marketing Packs
Strong, consistent imagery reproduced in;
Posters for display at POS
Cards to mail to bars about the beer coming via distributors
Drip mats
Possible local advertising campaigns in select literature
Marketing Posters and Promotions
Marketing Campaigns changed regularly
Viral Marketing- Getting to our publics
How will we bring our messages to the public?
The key is to combine some traditional forms of promotion with the new methods of marketing and PR
We will use our company website alongside a number of social networking sites
www.slbc.ie
How will we draw people to our site and encourage them to return?
Worst Bar Song
Beer Appreciation videos and articles
Food and Beer Pairing
I’m Irish
In the Most Unusual Place
Blogging
What is the competition? A competition for US and Irish bands who play ‘Irish’ music Bands enter by sending a video of what they regard as their
best song – videos loaded onto YouTube YouTube visitors vote for their favourite band Winners get a trip to Las Vegas to play at a well-known Casino
Why will it be successful? The prize will draw a number of bands to the competition and
as importantly their supporters Bands will promote their participation and market themselves
and SLBC Opportunities to contact Irish American sites to inform them of
the competition 40 – 60 Music Videos on YouTube will draw the public and will
see the link back to SLBC Voting and visits will make these videos some of the most
popular on YouTube and both the bands and SLBC will gain exposure
Battle of the Bands Competition
Conclusion
Conclusion
SLBC are using new marketing techniques to promote our beers in the USA, Ireland and worldwide.
We want to promote our unique exporting technique, historical brews and Irish heritage throughout our campaigns.
Exciting competitions, blogs and articles on the SLBC and social networking sites will keep consumers updated on our progress.
For further information on Strangford Lough Brewing Company visit www.slbc.ie
www.slbc.ie