APSOTW

1. The UK beer market is crowded and shrinking. You’re relatively small and unknown in
this crowded and shrinking market. You want to raise your profile and presumably sales,
you want to do this during the Olympics and you want to do this with a budget of
$400,000.
To achieve this, we need to identify an idea that connects the soul of the Olympics with
the essence of Samuel Adams in a way that resonates with the mindset of craft beer
drinkers. In a way that is different – so there can be no reference to hipster authenticity
and no obsession with winners. For regulatory reasons, this has to be done in a way that
excludes those heavy users of social media, the under 18s.
So, why do people drink craft beer? Because they think it speaks to discernment and
provides self-affirmation via affordable luxury. They think of themselves as drinkers not
drunks.
Drinkers not drunks who during the Olympic months are going to be endlessly assaulted
by brands trying to turn the UK into Rio or combining sports data and social media or
linking their heritage with the long haul required to get to the starting line. Or all of the
above.
The UK sales gimmick market will be crowded and far from shrinking.
And let’s not forget that your CEO/founder has famously said that “Samuel Adams has
never been cool” and that “it’s not about the marketing, it’s about the product”.
It might be interesting to align the craft beer drinkers’ self-affirmation goal with the
Olympian motto Citius, Altius, Fortius, ("Faster, Higher, Stronger.") by focusing on the
achievement of personal bests across the games. However, the very nature of the
competition means that these will be extremely numerous and while the nature of your
sponsorship prohibits a focus on individual athletes.
Furthermore, when it comes to sporting events real-time reporting is key for modern
media channels. The time difference between the UK and Brazil will be a significant
complication and the contrast between a time-delayed Olympics and the real-time
extravaganza that will (a matter of weeks earlier) have been the European football
championship will be all too apparent to viewers.
Consequently. sports fatigue and the question of how popular the Olympics really are will
also have to be addressed.
So far, so negative. But, rest assured, there is a route we could take. The elephant in the
Olympic room will be zika. Yes, there will be fluff pieces about Rio and Copacabana, but
there will also be reporting about the real Brazil. The brand that can unite itself with
Olympian humanitarian ideals by contributing to the zika relief programme will truly cut
through, be shared and remembered long after the Olympics has been forgotten.

2. Unfortunately, street humour being what it is, we have to highlight to you the likelihood
that links will be made between the head on a beer and the tragedy that is hydrocephalus.
This could be a PR disaster and so, very reluctantly, we don’t think this great avenue can
be safely pursued by a beer brand.
So our recommendation is to wait.
In a cluttered media world, it’s hard enough to find an original insight that ties a brand to
its customers’ lives and culture. Adding in the third variable of the Olympics makes that
harder and increases the probability of ending up with a compromised insight with the
five rings layered on top.
Just as people don’t care about brands, we’re not convinced they care about sponsorships.
Outside of marketing-related jobs, regular people can’t recall a single sponsorship
unprompted. And if you can’t feature the athletes – then frankly there’s not much point to
the association.
Why choose the busiest marketing time of the summer to try to differentiate yourself on a
tiny budget? Why try to address your niche market via a mass market event that can’t be
built upon once the games have finished?
It’s much better to identify a less crowded and more appropriate playing field on which to
compete because that’s where by matching the environment to a genuine customer belief
you will make the biggest impact for your $400,000.
When everybody zigs, the true differentiator has the self-assurance to zag.