Secretary of State Brings Home 24 Canadians

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry found himself to be the proud owner of a case of Molson Canadian Thursday after settling a bet with Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird.

The pair had wagered cases of beer over who would win the women’s world hockey championship and the US came through on Tuesday with a 3-2 win. Baird will have to live without the case of Sam Adams, brewed in Kerry’s home state of Massachusetts, that would have been coming to him. 

They made the exchange in London, where they are holed up for the G8 conference, leading one to wonder if they each always travel with a case of brewskis—just in case.Continue reading...

Newcastle Gets Real

Newcastle has taken a new tack in its advertising and it’s all about turning old beer advertising on its head. Beer marketers love to throw “heritage” imagery at consumers to make beer drinkers feel like they are part of something bigger, so Newcastle decided to go back to its roots, the English town of Newcastle, where residents—known as Geordies—are filled with humor and realism. The result? Newcastle’s “No Bollocks” ad campaign.

“If you look at the Geordies, they’re very friendly, down-to-earth; they don’t take themselves too seriously, and tell it like it is. We figured that is a really interesting space for us to be in," says Newcastle Brown Ale Brand Director Charles van Es, according to Fast Company's FastCoCreate blog. "We wanted to use that wit and dry sense of humor as our brand voice. We want to be transparent about the fact that we’re marketing to you and the fact that our beer comes from England.”Continue reading...

The only motorized vehicle involved with National Hockey League games is the Zamboni ice resurfacer, but it is very likely insured by Geico.

The NHL and the 75-year-old insurance company announced Monday that Geico will continue to be the official insurance company of the NHL in the United States. With the deal, for the next few years Geico gets to sponsor the very cool annual outdoor game, the Winter Classic, as well as the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the All-Star weekend when it is held in the States.

For example, the Winter Classic is being held this year on Jan. 2 at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank, which is normally the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. There will be a three-day fan festival before the Philadelphia Flyer and New York Rangers face off that will feature attractions from several sponsoring brands, such as Verizon, Honda, and Geico.Continue reading...

For decades, Canada's Molson Breweries owned NHL sponsorship rights, only to have them grabbed by Labatt back in 2007. Now an Ontario appeals court has given the rights, worth hundreds of millions, back to Molson.

The pair faced off in court because Labatt “failed to sew up an extension of its sponsorship rights within an exclusive negotiating window last winter,” the Globe and Mail reports. The league then went back to Molson and signed a deal with them. Labatt requested and received an injunction last month, but then lost its appeal Tuesday and is now “reviewing its options for further legal action.”

Molson execs are likely tipping a few back to celebrate the fact that they get to spend “about $375-million over the next seven years” for the NHL branding exclusive, the paper notes.Continue reading...

With beer industry revenues at an all-time low, MillerCoors LLC is resurrecting a legendary recipe. Named “Batch 19” after the year prior to Prohibition – the period in which all alcohol was banned for 13 years – the brewery hopes that its back-story will attract consumers and stop the sales slump.

Alcoholic beverage brands typically vie for the attention of the lucrative male, ages 18 - 34 demographic; this brand of brew, however, is tailored to a more sophisticated group within that coveted grouping: Those searching for “a true, authentic, original beer,” according to Peter Swinburn, chief executive of Molson Coors Brewing Co., MillerCoors' parent company. Swinburn is confident that its new beverage will outlast failed products such as Miller Chill, a beer flavored with lime and salt. Consumers in Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Washington can expect to see Batch 19 in eateries starting next month. Continue reading...

There’s nothing more Canadian than making fun of Toronto – except, of course, if you live in the country’s biggest city.

This was never more evident than earlier this month when Molson Coors launched a promotional campaign in support of one of its flagship brands, Coors Light.

Billboards across the country heralded the beer’s long-heralded attribute – its coldness – with witty sayings like “Coors Light, colder than streaking in the dead of winter and realizing you forgot your keys” or “Coors Light, colder than my dog’s nose.” But the one that attracted coast-to-coast media attention – much of it negative – was “Coors Light, colder than most people from Toronto.” Continue reading...