Labatt marketing memo talks about tricking people into thinking they’re buying craft beer
Earlier this week, Toronto-based beer blogger Ben Johnson obtained and published a marketing memo about Labatt, the once-Canadian beer giant owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The document, produced by an outside advertising agency and titled “Fun Craft Connection,” outlines a $2.7 million plan to intentionally mislead people into thinking that Shock Top, one of Labatt’s brands, is actually produced by a small craft brewer instead of a multinational beverage company. The memo reads:
Shock Top is Labatt’s big bet in the battle against Micro Craft. Micro Craft is growing rapidly, with the proliferation of brands eroding Labatt’s share… Shock Top has the small brewer/craft credentials to compete… [W]e need a significant transformation to redefine flavour in craft with our delicious, approachable liquid, and cement Shock Top’s position as a fun, flavourful craft brand.
The Huffington Post contacted a Labatt spokesperson, who confirmed the memo’s authenticity but said that Shock Top’s marketing strategy hasn’t yet been finalized. As for those “craft credentials” mentioned above? They’re discussed again a little further down the page.
Shock Top has craft credentials: 75% of consumers believe Shock Top is from a craft/unknown brewer.
Maybe the cool-guy orange slice mascot has something to do with it.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/labatt-marketing-memo-suggests-tricking-people-thinking-theyre-buying-craft-beer/&title=Labatt marketing memo talks about tricking people into thinking they’re buying craft beer&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Untitled-21.jpg&description=Earlier this week, Toronto-based beer blogger Ben Johnson obtained and published a marketing memo about Labatt, the once-Canadian beer giant owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The document, produced by an outside advertising agency and titled "Fun Craft Connection," outlines a $2.7 million plan to intentionally mislead people into thinking that Shock Top, one of Labatt's brands, is actually produced by a small craft brewer instead of a multinational beverage company. The memo reads:
Shock Top is Labatt's big bet in the battle against Micro Craft. Micro Craft is growing rapidly, with the proliferation of brands eroding Labatt's share... Shock Top has the small brewer/craft credentials to compete... [W]e need a significant transformation to redefine flavour in craft with our delicious, approachable liquid, and cement Shock Top's position as a fun, flavourful craft brand.
The Huffington Post contacted a Labatt spokesperson, who confirmed the memo's authenticity but said that Shock Top's marketing strategy hasn't yet been finalized. As for those "craft credentials" mentioned above? They're discussed again a little further down the page.
Shock Top has craft credentials: 75% of consumers believe Shock Top is from a craft/unknown brewer.
Maybe the cool-guy orange slice mascot has something to do with it.){kind=link}
Just another reason to hate conglomerate behemoth Anheuser-Busch InBev.
and to top it all off … they’re putting their “craft stock” in a pretty bad beer.
This is really not cool. I was certainly under this impression from the external appearance of the Shock Top brand. This is what disgusts me about the concept of big business in general. Everything is so calculated. What’s going to happen next? Are they going to quietly buy up all of the real craft brewers, cut corners and use the same name so that people think it’s still craft?
It’s things like these that give me reason to believe that there is no such thing as “real” anymore. It’s actually really depressing.
“delicious, approachable liquid”?
Boy I really hate marketers.
Yes, that’s exactly what they’ll do. Creemore anyone?
they can try all the tricks in the book if they want – nobody buys a beer because it’s ‘fun’, they buy it because it tastes good. i used to think Keiths made a marginal product and wasn’t a fan, then they released the Hop Series and now they’r my 2nd fav beer makers after Waterloo (except for Keiths galaxy hop beer – never grabbed me)
Why does the LCBO put this shit in the “craft section”? Enablers of mass produced lies.
Shock Top is the Poochie of beers