Cassies 2009 Cases. Brand/Case: James Ready Share Our Billboard Campaign

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1 Cassies 2009 Cases Brand/Case: James Ready Share Our Billboard Campaign Winner: Events, Seasonal & Short-Term Gold Small Budget Gold Packaged Goods Food Gold Client Credits: James Ready Brewing Company Matt Johnston, Director, North American Markets Chris Waldock, Brand Manager Agency Credits: Leo Burnett Canada Judy John, SVP, Chief Creative Officer David Buckspan, Group Account Director Natasha Dagenais, Account Director Sean Barlow, Creative Director Paul Giannetta, Creative Director Shirley Ward-Taggart, Digital Creative Director Steve Persico, Copywriter Anthony Chelvanathan, Art Director Ross Butcher, Digital Art Director Emily Zamir, Digital Copywriter Additional Credits: Starcom MediaVest (SMG) Media Planning and Buying Crossover Notes: All winning cases contain lessons that cross over from one case to another. David Rutherford has been identifying these as Crossover Notes since Cassies1997. The full set for Cassies 2009 can be downloaded from the Case Library section at Crossover Note 1. Crossover Note 2. Crossover Note 7. Crossover Note 11. Crossover Note 12. What a Brand Stands For. Brand Truths. Fighting for the Same High Ground. The Eureka Insight. Changing the Goalposts. To see creative, go to the Case Library Index and click on the additional links beside the case.

2 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Business Results Period (Consecutive Months): April 2008 July 2008 Start of Advertising/Communication Effort: April 2008 Base Period for Comparison: April 2007 March 2008 a) Synopsis of the Case James Ready is a premium beer in the discount beer segment. If it wanted to, James Ready Brewing Company could charge $2 a beer like other premium brands. But James Ready thinks that Ontario drinkers deserve a quality beer for a low price. Period. To make that happen, James Ready continues to do everything it can to help keep its beer affordable. The discount beer segment represents nearly 40% of beer sales in Ontario. This category was essentially created by Lakeport with its dollar-a-beer concept. Where there s sales volume potential, there s always a brawl waiting to break loose. By the start of 2007, 34 discount beer brands in Ontario found themselves fighting case-by-case and shelf-to-shelf for every possible share point. It wasn t pretty. Crossover Note 7. By 2008, The James Ready Brewing Company was in fighting shape and ready to do battle with the launch of a new campaign in Ontario. The challenge was to engage drinkers with a discount brand in a segment already loaded with competitors. And to do so with a very small budget. The answer? A brand new take on a traditional media channel a billboard campaign. Crossover Note 12. b) Summary of Business Results As of August 1, 2008 the end of the business results period volume sales for James Ready tracked at +55% versus the same period a year ago in Ontario. And by the end of the campaign, market share grew +31%. SITUATION ANALYSIS a) Overall Assessment $2.5 billion worth of beer is sold in Ontario each year making it one of the most lucrative markets in the world. Mainstream beers that traditionally ruled the day, like Molson Canadian and Labatt Blue, continue to lose share year after year. There are several reasons for this decline: premium brands are growing in acceptance among young beer drinkers looking to step up to a higher quality product; wine and spirits are mimicking the role of beer in consumers lives; light beer, energy drinks and bottled water are fulfilling the need for a healthier lifestyle; and discount brands are becoming an acceptable alternative.

3 3 Given these trends, the discount beer segment seemed ripe for invasion by the big boys, Labatt and Molson. And in 2007, one of the original buck-a-beer brands, Lakeport, was taken over by Labatt. The next battle front was clearly established. James Ready saw this change in market as an opportunity. The beer industry in Ontario was already changing; moving from mainstream brands to premium, light and discount labels. And with the sale of Lakeport, the discount segment was about to change as well. But none of the other discount brands stood out. They advertised on price alone. So how could James Ready stand out if all discount brands were basically all the same price? This was the situation when the Share Our Billboard campaign was launched. b) Resulting Business Objectives It became urgently clear that James Ready needed to rally its loyal drinkers and aggressively recruit newcomers if it were to: 1. Drive 2008 Ontario net sales volume growth 2. Drive 2008 Ontario market share growth 3. Create meaningful and relevant consumer experiences with the brand c) Budget Range/Share of Voice $140,200 for OOH Media (Excluding Production) Ontario only C. STRATEGY & INSIGHT a) Analysis and Insight The rapid growth of the discount beer segment indicates that consumers are willing to adopt new value brands. Premium brands like Stella and Heineken, plus mainstream brands like Canadian and Blue, were focusing on heritage, brewing tradition and rational benefits at the expense of beer s key benefits having fun and building an honest connection to the drinker. Crossover Note 2. These insights would influence how James Ready would be presented. Young men still turn to beer to play a role in the fun parts of their lives. But they weren t seeing or feeling this from the premium, mainstream or discount segments. Rather, they saw the lifestyle portrayed in premium beer ads as unattainable and the mainstream brands as dated - the very same ones their fathers used to drink. And the competitive discount brands focused on price alone with little differentiation between them. Here s a human truth: There is pleasure and satisfaction to be gained from being part of something larger than oneself, especially with brands that one loves, likes or at least feels empathy for. Crossover Note 11. That s why fans were asked directly to help James Ready help them keep the beer a buck. Inherent in this is the idea that everyone who helps keep the cost down would become a zealot for the brand, spreading word of the cause, driving engagement and volume.

4 4 b) Communication Strategy To uncap the unique personality of the brand, James Ready decided to behave differently by leaving the facts behind and inciting some fun. This led to the strategy Help us help you keep the beer a buck. The goal was to influence drinkers before they decided which beer to buy. We created a sense of play and participation by inviting drinkers to post real pictures and messages on 10 x 20 outdoor billboards located outside Beer Store locations across Ontario. CREATIVE EXECUTION James Ready is the people s beer. To turn its drinkers into true believers, we had to give them a reason to keep this brand as their favourite; a beer brand they would continue to root for. So some billboards were secured and rented out to fans for free. There were two phases of the campaign. In Phase 1, drinkers were informed that the free billboard space was available. All they had to do was send a picture or message to the website. In Phase 2, the pictures and messages were posted on the billboards. The look and tone was important. Effective but not glitzy. A homemade look. Remember, James Ready does everything it can to help keep its beer affordable. Crossover Note 1.

5 5 MEDIA EXECUTION Drinkers tend to have tunnel vision when shopping for beer. When they walk into a beer store, they re in buy mode and go directly to their planned purchase beer or straight to the order counter. The goal was to influence drinkers before they entered the store. Billboards allowed James Ready to target high-volume markets efficiently by posting them right outside local TBS (The Beer Store) locations. Packaging, bottles and caps were also used to help spread the word. Outdoor Campaign (Ontario) English 10 x 20 billboards launched April1. Phase 1 urged fans to share billboard space by submitting images/messages to the website. Phase 2 featured the images/messages on the actual billboards along with a thank-you message from James Ready. Phase 1 ran for 4 weeks April1 to April 28; Phase 2 ran for 4 weeks May 12 to June 8

6 6 Packaging (Ontario) New caps and labels could be found in all James Ready packs starting April 1 for three months. Underneath each cap and label, drinkers would discover one of over 200 surprise messages. Not only did they generate buzz, but they also told fans how to help keep the beer a buck. Website Readyforless.ca launched April 1 The site was built using a little imagination and the stuff found in the case (the labels, cardboard, beer caps, bottles, etc.). The mission of the site was to show people how to make their own beer coasters, hats, t-shirts, etc. and to encourage James Ready drinkers to show their support for the cause. The conversation didn t end there. Every person who submitted a message or picture on the website received a letter or from the crew at James Ready Brewing Company thanking them for their submission. In-Case Newsletter To help create additional interest and talk value, drinkers could find a special newsletter in cases of James Ready starting April 1. It was another way of engaging the fans in a surprising way.

7 7 BUSINESS RESULTS The billboard campaign yielded a sales volume net increase of 55% over previous year. Sales Volume 350, ,000 Growth = 55% 250,000 Volume 200, , ,000 50,000 0 April 07- July 07 April 08 - July market share grew 31% over the campaign period. Market Share Market Share Growth = 31% April 07 - March 08 April 08 - July 08 Beyond volume and share growth, another goal was to create meaningful and relevant consumer experiences with the brand. The results were excellent. 32% of visitors to the website used the picture uploading tool. This proved that they wanted to participate in the cause and help keep the beer a buck.

8 8 CAUSE & EFFECT BETWEEN ADVERTISING AND RESULTS Unlike other beer brands, James Ready does not develop in-store or on-pack advertising. There were no danglers or special POP materials and collateral for this campaign. There were no limited-time offer discounts at retail either. So any increase in sales and market share are a direct result of the advertising and word-of-mouth. Readyforless.ca a unique website and URL was created during the billboard campaign to measure the impact of word-of-mouth. From April 2008 to July 2008 there were over 115,000 hits. Remember, the only advertising at the time was the campaign promoting the share your picture on a billboard in Phase 1 and the creative that was featured on the actual billboards in Phase 2 (with the in-pack newsletter for support). There were over 5,900 unique visitors to the website and they spent an average of 14.3 minutes interacting with it. That s amazing!