Molson: Cheers to bandwidth

Beer and bandwidth.


The two words don’t have much in common at first glance - kind of like chicken and dynamite – but Molson’s Canada has found a connection and it’s made the company a leader amongst its peers.

Several years ago the company decided to develop an online marketing campaign. Using social media tools, Molson’s has become the best example of what the effective use of social media can do to improve a company’s online brand.



The company uses a community blog on its website, executive Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages and anything it can find to enhance its online brand. This social media strategy is effective, efficient and groundbreaking. Here’s some reasons why:

• The Internet lets Molson connect with beer drinkers across the country. Canada is a big place, now drinkers can receive tweets from Toronto or Vancouver and the messages are the same.
  
  
• Molson’s use of social media is great because it gives the customer a say. Through tweets, blog comments and Facebook posts, anyone can talk to the company. It knows what people are thinking. That’s a huge advantage in a very competitive field.
  



• This campaign allows Molson to make a huge audience (beer drinkers) smaller. The older generations of drinkers don’t use social media. This campaign targets younger drinkers and tries to make sure Molson will be selling beer for years to come.

• Molson’s social media campaign adds credibility to the company. The contributors involved in the campaign are different levels of employees. The same messages are coming from the top and the bottom, that’s a great way to build trust.
  
  

Let’s take a look at the key components of the campaign: The
community blog, two Twitter accounts and the Facebook pages. Early in social media’s rise to popularity, Molson realizes the opportunities it presents.

• Social media is a cheap way to enhance brand awareness. Molson’s can attract new customers basically for free simply by publicizing itself through the proper channels.
  


• The blog and Twitter aspects of the campaign are an opportunity for Molson’s to be transparent and build trust amongst Canada’s younger generation of drinkers.
  

Molson’s is cool. If a company uses Twitter and Facebook, its got to be pretty hip. People think this, and decide to listen to its messages.


Obviously, Molson’s has been pretty effective in embracing social media, but what is the company trying to do?

• Social media allowed Molson’s to identify its target audience and tailor its key messages to reflect the values of that audience.
  
• This campaign was designed to grow Molson’s brand and distance the company from its competitors. Not only that, but, with tools like the community blog, Molson has been able to position itself as a champion of Canadian causes and the company has been able to closely associate itself to major Canadian events.
  

OK, Molson’s is doing a good job, but no campaign is without its flaws. What can Molson’s do better:

• Molson’s is handcuffed by its product. The company can’t market to anyone under 19. That’s a big audience of social media consumers that is not interested in the messages.
  


• Molson’s message is broad. The campaign could benefit from more specific goals and campaigns tailored around specific brands.
  

Molson’s online presence isn’t easy to find. On Twitter, the two main accounts the company uses are personal employee accounts. If you don’t know where to look, you might be missing the message.

One of the brightest points of Molson’s social media strategy is its use of everything at its disposal. The company embraced the tools mentioned above, but its also active on sites like YouTube and LinkedIn. Finally, the social media campaign works because it complements the messages already circulating through traditional media and advertising.

So, is Molson’s perfect? No. But, the company is doing the best job it can and much better than its competitors.

Raise a glass to this social media campaign, it’s certainly refreshing.



Work by: Kiel Edge, Shaun Dias, Nic Canning, Chris Cottick and Brent Thornhill.