Strand Brewing Co. Campaign

Public Relations Campaign

Erik Arenas

California State University, Long Beach

2016

Executive Summary 1SWOT Analysis 2Situation Anlysis 3Audiences & Stakeholders 4Competitors 5Research 6-7Key Messages 8Goals, Objectives, Strategies & Tactics

9-15

Evaluation 16Appendix 17-22

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Strand Brewing Co. is a brewery located in Torrance, CA that specializes in premium handcrafted ales. The brewery produces seven signature ales as well as seasonal and special one-off batches throughout the year. Strand was established in 2010 by Rich Marcello and Joel Elliottt in a cramped 3,500 square-feet tasting room in a Torrance industrial park. It was among the first wave of craft breweries that inundated Los Angeles in 2010, the other two being Eagle Rock Brewery and Ladyface Ale Companie. The owners had a vision: to build a world-class brewery in the heart of Torrance that produces quality beers for the South Bay, Los Angeles, Southern California and beyond. From the beginning, there’s been a commitment to the artistry of creating premium craft ales and a continuous approach to the hands-on creative process of brewing. All of Strand’s beers are still unfiltered and unpasteurized. Strand Brewing Co. has developed a close relationship with its community by hosting fundraisers for schools, churches and non-profit organizations. Rich Marcello has especially been a key asset for the brewery as he’s constantly thanked and praised in online reviews from customers. Strand Brewing Co. attributes much of its success to the fans and loyal customers. Marcelo and Elliott intend to increase production while maintaining integrity and keeping quality at its highest level. I was presented with the opportunity to work with Strand Brewing Co. to create a campaign that addresses some of the current issues the brewery has with social media. This public relations campaign presents tactics and solutions to implement on their social media accounts which will increase awareness of the brewery, create a cohesive brand image and engage the brewery in conversations with its loyal fans.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Strengths • Torrance, home to people with a

sense of pride and support for their community.

• Gives back to the local community every month through fundraisers for schools, churches and non-profit groups.

• A 5-star overall review on Yelp! (review highlights are the new location, customer service and vibe).

• Bring your own food and food trucks on site during the weekends.

• Dog friendly. • Strong relationships with proprietors

who sell the beer. • New spacious location is bigger than

competitors.

Weaknesses • Beer selection is limited (they only

brew ales). • Beer is only available in California. • Twitter: last tweet was made in

October 2015. Tweets were inconsistent and the entire page lacks branding and visibility.

• Facebook: their “laid-back” approach is almost too laid-back. Photos and graphics are low quality. Posts don't create a cohesive message/image for the brewery.

• Instagram: photos are low quality and inconsistent. Instagram is a strong tool for breweries.

• People are not aware of the new location.

Opportunities • Increase social media presence. • A large space presents the brewery

opportunities to host large events. • Collaborate with other breweries in

Torrance to conduct brewery tours. • The laid-back vision and logo present

the opportunity to create beautiful and aesthetically pleasing original content (beach, SoCal, sand, ocean, Los Angeles, etc.)

• Create event for the brewery’s first year in the new location.

Threats • Social media can pose a threat to the

laid-back vision. Tactics, content and strategies need to be carefully executed in an organic manner.

• The new location is closer to competitive breweries in Torrance such as Smog City, Monkish, The Dude’s and Absolution.

• Quality of the beer could diminish if awareness brings a massive audience.

SWOT ANALYSIS

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Strand Brewing Co. has the core elements of an authentic brewery: quality beer, outstanding customer service, variety of food options, prime location, a close relationship with the community and the tasting room offers a great experience. However, these qualities don't seem to be reflected on their social media accounts. The brewery was established in 2010, it was one of the first in Los Angeles and the first location in Torrance. It would seem that the brewery would have a strong established online presence in their social media accounts with a large following. However, it seems as though the brewery has not effectively been able to connect with the audience and lacks an understanding of the complexity of each social media platform. Audiences communicate differently through each social media network and it’s important to understand how to deliver messages accordingly. Currently, their Instagram account has about 2,700 followers compared to close competitor Smog City, which has about 24,300 followers. Their Facebook page has about 4,215 likes compared to anther close competitor The Dude’s Brewing Co., which has 13,300 likes. Lastly, their Twitter account has about 2,100 followers compare to Smog City’s 7,2000. The social media posts lack consistency. For example, the last tweet was made in October 2015 and Instagram posts are made weeks apart (there are only 25 posts overall). Facebook, a powerful network with excellent event marketing tools, is not being taken advantage of. The events tool has the potential to strengthen conversations with the fans and increase their voice in the community.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

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This campaign was not created to target one specific audience due to social media’s ability to reach anyone who has access to the Internet. However, there are general characteristics used to describe an audience of a craft brewery that play a role in strategizing tactics.

Demographic of craft beer lovers: According to research conducted by the Brewers Association, recent trends point toward an increasing diversity of beer drinkers. Young women account for 15% of craft volume, the Hispanic population has increased craft engagement and millennials make up 46% of of new craft beer drinkers. Well-educated white males with a high income continue to be the dominating demographic. Strand Brewing Co. has built a strong relationship with the community of Torrance and they are key stakeholders. More specifically, Strand is part of Discover Torrance, a non-profit organization whose mission is to market the City of Torrance and its lodging partners as a tourist destination.

AUDIENCES & STAKEHOLDERS

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There is a groups of breweries in Torrance that exist within a mile of each other. This area has become a destination spot for craft beer lovers and its proximity to the 405 freeway makes for easy accessibility. Each brewery has its distinguished personality and there’s an ongoing friendly competition, but the goal is to stand out as the best of the bunch.

Smog City - They have a pefectiouisty reputation for wide range of eclectic small-batch beers under the guidance of a rock star brewmaster (Porter). He is what makes them a competition because he’s an award winning brewmaster who attracts a lot of customers.

Monkish - Specializes in well-regarded Belgian ales, which is an acquired taste for many. Strand does not offer Belgian ales, which tend to attract an older audience with loyalty.

The Dude’s - Has a very sleek tasting room and big-screen televisions that show NFL games. Additionally, their signature Double Trunk Imperial IPA with its 10.8% ABV is extremely popular.

COMPETITORS

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Secondary Research 1. Strand Brewing Co. Website

• Content analysis, specific details about the signature beers, business hours, merchandise, story about the start of the brewery and contact information.

• The current website is aesthetically pleasing and well-structured for the most

part. Audiences are presented with the vibe of the brewery through the colors of the website, images of the beers and the story.

• Problem: There are no social media buttons.

2. Strand Brewing Co. Twitter • Analysis of tweets, branding, mentions, engagements, connections and

media content.

• Although there has only been 49 tweets made, the account has a large following. Which means audiences are interested in updates from the brewery. However the tweets and media content lack cohesiveness.

• Problem: There are no conversations, low engagements and creative content is nowhere to be found.

3. Strand Brewing Co. Facebook

• Special emphasis on the analysis of the events tool, which makes it easy to plan and organize an event for audiences. Event Pages encourages attendees to share and invite their Facebook friend with very tempting “share” and “invite” buttons underneath the cover photo.

• Analysis of posts, conversations with users, visuals and story telling.

RESEARCH

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• Problem: Event Pages is not being used efficiently, there is no creative content to present to new audiences and there’s no brand identity.

4. Strand Brewing Co. Instagram “Inspire people visually with your business’ story.” Analysis of followers, quality of photos, comments and likes. Problem: Inefficient use of the visual element of Instagram. Photos lack quality, creativity, interest and a cohesive aesthetic with the brewery.

Primary Research Visiting the brewery and engaging with the audiences in person enabled me

to understand the experience at the Strand Brewing Co. and how to paint an image of it through social media. It was important to consume every product and look for ways to spark sensation for the brewery. Meeting with the owners provided me with an in-depth history of the

brewery and additional information that could not be found online such as who handles their social media accounts and what approach they take. Rich and Joel have worked hard to establish a strong relationship with the community and its

stakeholders. It’s a core element of who they are and they are very considerate of their role in the brewery.

RESEARCH

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Strand Brewing Co. is a world-class brewery that is committed to producing Premium Handcrafted Ales for the South Bay, Los Angeles, Southern California and beyond.

Strand Brewing Co. promises to maintain integrity and quality throughout the artistic production of its craft beers.

Strand Brewing Co. was part of the initial surge in the Los Angeles beer culture and the owners continue to foster it by supporting the community through fundraisers, fun events and tourism.

KEY MESSAGES

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To improve the visual content for Instagram which tells the story of the brewery, updates the audience on weekly events and engages with its followers to maintain a loyal fan base.

To increase Instagram follower count by 75% before the year is over.

Strategy Post content that is visually pleasing, connects with the community, tells a story, merchandizes products and informs about upcoming events.

Tactics and Execution Before delving into the specific tactics that need to be implemented in order for the Instagram plan to be executed effectively, there are several rules to keep in mind every time a post is made. Ask yourself, “would I share this with someone?” Instagram makes sharing tremendously easy by simply tagging a friend in the comment section of a post. Through sharing, the Instagram account receives more awareness; our goal is to make users follow our account when they see the shared post. (see appendix for reference). Instagram’s structure makes it easy for users to browse through several accounts in a short amount of time. Within 10 seconds of quick browsing, a user can make a choice of whether to follow the account or not. In other words, if your

GOAL #1

GOALS, OBJECTIVES, TACTICS AND STRATEGIES

OBJECTIVE #1

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account fails to strike a user, then something is going wrong. The quality of the photos, the colors, the aesthetic, the logo, the bio, all of these elements need to be sharp and cohesive. Tactics

• Change the logo of the account to the silhouette of an iconic Southern California lifeguard tower. This logo is immediately recognizable and distinguishes the brewery from the others. The lifeguard tower contains a lot of symbolism that is consistent with the branding the brewery (laid-back, beach, SoCal) and it’s important that new users are presented with this image at a first glance. (see appendix 1a)

• Use third-party applications provided by Instagram to strike the audience with creativity. GIFs, videos and short slideshows can catch the eye of users, which is crucial when trying to sell a beverage. If a user sees a GIF of a beer pour, it’s only a matter of time before the taste sense says “let’s go get a beer.”

• Run contests on Instagram. Contests are fun and get fans engaged. By using a simple hashtag such as #MyStrandBrew, a contest can be created to chose the best photograph of users with their beer. Contests get people to engaged and it can build a lot of loyalty with users if they know their favorite brewery is active.

• Create unique hashtags and constantly post the same hashtags in every post. Only 5 hashtags per post because too many come off as desperate and make a cluttered post. Proposed hashtags: #StrandBrewingCo #Brewery #LosAngeles #Torrance. All of these hashtags connect back to the brewery and the community.The fifth


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hashtag would be determined based on the type of post. For example, if it’s a post for National Beer Day, we would add #NationalBeerDay. This hashtag connects the account to a wider audience. (see appendix 1b)

• Every photo is a story, captions need to be created carefully to go along with the photo. Describe what is in the photo and tell a quick story. Like the research showed, craft beer drinkers care about the beer’s history, the community and creation, Instagram is the window for the brewery’s ongoing story. (see appendix 1c).

• Merchandizing of the beer needs to be shot with a professional camera. With visual merchandizing, keeping the visual organize is important in order to not come off as an advertisement. Influencers are excellent at creating organic posts (see appendix 1d).

BUDGET: $0


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I

To improve the content being posted on Twitter to inspire action and drive awareness of daily brews.

To increase the follower count by 50% before the end of the year.

Strategy Use a singular audience approach on Twitter to encourage users to be active with the account, stay updated with the food in the brewery and interact with users to enhance customer service.

Tactics and Execution Twitter has the potential to reach a massive audience. People find it easy to engage with businesses over Twitter because they can send out a mention to the business and start a conversation. It gives an active voice to the business and enables it expand on its customer service. When it comes to a brewery, Twitter is the perfect tool to communicate a positive messages to audiences, inspire action and build relationships with craft beer lovers in the community. Though tweets are only 140 characters long, there are ways to create tweets that can attract lots of impressions. Following back other breweries and key members of the craft beer culture is essential to establishing a close circle of connection within the industry. Think of the account as a person and this person needs a circle of friends to engage with.


GOAL #2

OBJECTIVE #2

Tactics • Post tweets with a sense of urgency. “There are only 4 kegs left of the

favorite 24th Street Pale Ale. Come get your pour before it’s gone! • Talk directly to the audience. “You’re going to love our new Cinnamon

White Sand Imperial IPA. It’ll be ready for you next week, just in time for Thanksgiving!”

• Use social media calendars for evergreen posts. (appendix 2a). • Scan Twitter every day for mentions, likes, news and any relevant

information about the craft beer community that can be shared with followers.

• Change logo the the life guard tower.

Budget: $0

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To increase awareness of events through Facebook.

To increase the “likes” on the page by 50% before the year ends.

Strategy Use Facebook as a tool to organize, promote and market events in the brewery and create detailed posts with photos that reach a wider audience.

Tactics and Execution Facebook has a tool called Event Page that allows anyone to create an event, share it

with people and invite people. This is a free tool that has the potential to expand the attendance of an event and start conversations through a social wall in which all the people interested in the event can communicate with each other. Posts on Facebook have the freedom of being long or short. There’s no limit, but to execute the plan efficiently about 5 posts per week will be made to make sure that fresh content stays visible for the audiences . Tactics

Create events with striking visuals and information that gets straight to the point. The goal is to drive interest within the first 10 seconds of someone clicking the event. (see appendix 3a). Create “How To” videos related to the community of craft beer lovers. This will take some time, but these videos are extremely easy to share and drive interest because Facebook’s algorithm keeps the videos scrolling for as long as someone wants.


GOAL #3

OBJECTIVE #3

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Use posts to elaborate on ideas and ask questions to the audience so they can comment in the comments section. Sometimes new users have questions about the brewery and we want to make sure to use Facebook to improve outstanding customer service. Change the logo to the silhouette of the iconic life guard tower in SoCal. This logo is the same as the one proposed for Instagram and Twitter. This logo will create brand cohesiveness and will make the brewery stand out from the others.

BUDGET: $0

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Social media campaigns make for a smooth evaluation of tactics because the measurable objectives can quickly be analyzed. For this particular campaign, all of our measurable objectives can easily be evaluated at the end of the campaign to analyze if the tactics were effective. There is a specific emphasis on the follower count because all of the objectives called for an increase in following.

Budget A social media manager for a brewery would cost about $30,000 per year to employ. However, if time and effort are set aside into developing the content for the networks, in which case I would provide all of the services, the budget would be $0.

Start End

Instagram 2,100

Twitter 2,700

Facebook 4,215

EVALUATION

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APPENDIX 1a (Desktop View) (Mobile View)

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APPENDIX 1b

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APPENDIX 1c

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APPENDIX 1d

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APPENDIX 2a

January February March April

Happy New Year! Thanks for all of your support in 2015, we promise to keep brewing the same quality beer in 2016, too.

Looking for a perfect date spot? Wink, wink.

We’ll be opened Valentine’s Day from 12 pm to 9pm!

To commemorate National Reading Awareness Month, we will giving reading books away at our tasting room.

We will be closed on Easter to give our workers time to celebrate with their families. #HappyEaster

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APPENDIX 3a

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Documents

Strand Brewing Co. Campaign