You are the VP of Marketing with Southwest Brewery. You make a “premium domestic” beer that competes with both local microbrews and international brewers like Molson and Coors. The brand has been around for 45 years but faces increasing competition and overall declining beer sales. You are starting to lose market share.
You sell in regulated beer or liquor stores in Eastern Canada (Ontario through the Maritimes). Your product performs particularly strongly in bars and taverns thanks to a solid sales network.
You are launching a new summer “seasonal” beer that will be available until from May 1 to September 30. This is your first new product in more than a decade. Your target market is males and females (skewed to males) aged 19 to 34 in your Eastern Canada sales region.
You have a marketing budget of $1 million (for media buy and related tactics, does not include creative development) for a 6-month period. In a four to six page memo to your boss, company president John Brewer, describe your integrated marketing communications strategy – what channels will you use to create awareness and drive sales of your products? Explain why you are using those channels and why you are not using the channels you have not selected.
Explain what percentage of your budget you will spend on each channel you selected and why? Describe any tactical considerations of your program. And offer any other strategic or tactical insights you believe are important.
