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Sitting by the pool or camping with a beer in your hand is the perfect remedy to a hot summer day.
A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping at my local Beer Store and one beer caught my attention. I can't tell if it was the brand name or the packaging design. I’m not a Beer expert but I tasted the beer and I liked it. After a few delightful sips, I can now say I'm a fan of Rolling Rock Beer.
As a good marketer, I spent some time researching about the origin of Rolling Rock. Beyond their young commercial history in Canada through Labatt Breweries, I was surprised to see two elements that are exponentially generating engagement among consumers.
#HowWeRoll is one the most contagious and powerful hashtags that I have seen in the ten years that I have worked in social media market. It is also a great brand statement.
"Here’s to the instigators, the creators who refuse to be anything but themselves. From Project 33 to the collective of makers we call the Rolling Rock Independent Artists, we’re proud to provide a platform for artistic self-expression....because that’s just #HowWeRoll."
On top of this great positioning in the market, Rolling Rock hosts an online gallery on their website to support independent artists, featuring a variety of art such as paintings and photography. Of course, the #HowWeRoll hashtag has thousands of impressions as American social media fans use it to post pictures to show how they roll with the product.
My research doesn’t end here, as there is so much mystery in this brand.
The number “33” is printed on the back of every bottle of Rolling Rock without apparent explanation. There are variety of theories about the “33 myth." The most popular one is that the Tito brothers bought the original Latrobe brewery site in 1933 (before Prohibition was repealed, clearly a gamble worth celebrating).
Another theory says there were 33 steps from the brew master's office to the brewery floor (less exciting, unless you’re the guy who has to count those steps every day. At least they would have amazingly strong quads!). There’s also a theory that since Latrobe was founded in PA—where the Groundhog is worshipped —of course they’d acknowledge it with a 33 (Groundhog Day is the 33rd day of the year).
The myth theories don’t stop there. 33 degrees is the temperature at which Rolling Rock is brewed. 33 is also the number of words in the quality “pledge” on the back of every Rolling Rock bottle. And yes 33 is the number of letters in the ingredients in the Rolling Rock itself: water, malt, rice, hops, corn, brewer’s yeast.
Whatever the reason, Rolling Rock has done a great job turning the numerical mystery of their history into their marketing future. In 2013, they hosted the inaugural “Project 33,” a gallery-based event that moved to Los Angeles in its second year and became a self-described “multi-week celebration of artistic self expression.”
I think #LabattBreweries have a golden opportunity here in Canada. Here at Mad Hatter Technology we know a great opportunity when we see one and will take any excuse we have to help a fellow independent spirit. After all, this is #HowWeRoll.
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