Almost every country in the world prefers their own beer, but Canada’s #1 selling beer isn’t Canadian. To reignite national pride and brand relevancy, Molson Canadian created a campaign to ensure that the beer you sip on Canada Day is Canadian - not just Molson Canadian, but any Canadian beer!

Mainstream beer sales are not about absolute growth in Canada, because sales are declining as more craft and independent beer brands grow. It is all about trying to maintain existing market share.

Molson Coors Beverage Company is a ‘big beer’ company in Canada and is sometimes seen as the enemy of other Canadian beer brewers due to its size, and the perception that through the Molson Coors equal share merger back in 2005, that they were a US-based company, and not quite Canadian enough. And unlike many countries in the world, the #1 beer in Canada is not a local beer.

Molson Canadian the brand is also steeped in heritage, and has been called traditional. It has become less relevant for the next generation of drinkers.

With 2020 delivering a difficult year where everything changed, including the closing of the significant revenue streams of on-premise bars and restaurants, they knew that maintaining share would be tough – but perhaps they could support the wider Canadian beer industry, and not just themselves. They could use their power for good in this change to the David and Goliath story, where now the giant helps out the smaller guys.

The pandemic had crippled the local beer industry, particularly for those that weren’t able to react quickly to alternative routes to market once storefronts and bars were closed. Molson Canadian had rapidly propped up and supported Ecommerce delivery solutions for some of their brands, but they weren’t scaling quickly. Molson Coors also has a broad portfolio of other Canadian brands that weren’t as sought after in 2020 as consumers reverted to trusted and known beer brands as comfort.

With July 1st (Canada Day) rapidly approaching, a day typically associated with great Canadian fanfare and outdoor celebrations, they needed a hook that could bring levity and joy to Canadians, even for a short time.

What if Molson Canadian invited other hard-up brewers across Canada to distribute their beer in special cases? Thereby giving them a national platform for exposure and support, putting aside differences for the summer for the greater good of the Canadian beer industry.

They supply the beer, Molson Canadian takes care of the marketing, distribution and sales (Oh, and it’s also a chance for other lesser-known Molson brands to feature in the case too!). There is a time and place for every Canadian beer, especially this year.

The campaign began by publishing an open letter from owner Geoff Molson to all Canadians in a national newspaper, highlighting Canada’s proud brewing heritage. He called on Canadians to celebrate together by joining as a community to enjoy Canadian beer regardless of the brand. The letter concluded by inviting big and small brewers to join Molson Canadian in creating a truly Canadian beer pack, and to Make It Canadian this Canada Day.

The message launched across video, display and social, with content designed to spark conversation about the launch of their pack. Everything was clickable, allowing consumers to head to the site for pre-purchase once other brewers joined in. The Most Canadian beer pack itself was rebranded to show multiple different logos, and had a few partner brands included to round out the 24 bottles.

Conversation on social media went rampant, with a mix of both anger and praise across the industry. Molson Canadian baited the other rival big brewers and cheered on the independents who came along for the ride. A stark change from the traditional approach.

The news picked up steam nationally, with coverage in mainstream media outlets as well as beer enthusiasts. The brand manager was interviewed live on national TV and the story played out in popular culture due to the topics of inclusivity, beer and true character during a health and economic crisis. All very Canadian.

They concluded the campaign the way they started it, with a thank you from Geoff Molson across all platforms.

The Molson Canadian Kantar Brand Health Tracker showed many score increases from pre-campaign to post-campaign. Of particular note, “Molson Canadian is a brand I’m proud to hold:” +17% and “Molson Canadian is a brand I’d share with others:” +36%.

The message of Make It Canadian poured out some tasty results: Molson Canadian saw an 11% market increase during the campaign period, a huge reversal of normal stagnation for big beer brands in Canada. Molson Canadian share of voice went up from 15% to 70% - overtaking Budweiser for the first time in four years. The Make It Canadian beer pack sold out, with participation from 40 different brewers from coast to coast.

What Molson Canadian had to say struck a chord culturally with Canadians, as the campaign achieved 28.7MM earned impressions, enough for every single Canadian of legal drinking age to see the inclusive beer case at least once.

The brand stood up for all Canadian brewers during a difficult time and acted the way a true leader should; by setting the example. They think one of their partner independent brewers said it best: “A great campaign, and quite frankly a genius idea by you and your team to assert yourselves as the leaders in beer for Canada. Well done. Thanks for the opportunity to participate!” – Rich, Director, Pump House Brewery.