Refreshing: Sleeman Beer Gets a Makeover

Sleeman Breweries and The&Partnership Launch New Positioning,
Integrated Campaign with New Packaging, “Here’s to Craftier Thinking”
Commercial Spot, and More

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Following its 30th anniversary, Sleeman Breweries, Canada’s
third-largest brewer, formally launched a new positioning and brand
campaign today featuring new packaging design, a :30 commercial spot,
digital and social content, as well as a website re-design and the
tagline, “Here’s to Craftier Thinking”. The brand refresh comes from
The&Partnership, and will roll out through the summer.

Sleeman’s new packaging design extends across the brand’s entire product
line-up. The new core portfolio design for Sleeman’s Original Draught,
Clear 2.0 and Light brands reinforces the brand’s heritage, quality and
easy-drinking appeal. The updates to Sleeman’s specialty portfolio
feature engaging stories and illustrations that highlight each beer’s
unique profile. The new Sleeman packaging began to roll out to market in
April.

“Our new positioning captures the spirit of craftier thinking that is at
the heart of everything we do—and in every drop of beer we brew,” said
Dana Brochu, Director of Marketing at Sleeman Breweries Ltd. “Our
success is rooted in a willingness to think differently and creatively
about the product we make. We think that this approach will resonate
with like-minded beer lovers.”

The campaign also features a new :30 commercial spot. The humorous ad
features a series of Sleeman drinkers performing various “beer hacks”
such as turning an empty Sleeman beer can into a popcorn popper or
pouring Sleeman beer into ice cube trays to make beer cubes. The ad goes
live today and will be supported with a robust national media campaign
in English and French, running through the summer on television and in
digital channels.

“Craftier thinking has been engrained in Sleeman’s DNA since day one,”
explained Ron Smrczek, Executive Creative Director,
The&Partnership. “Today, we simply want to turn the lens on the brand’s
drinkers and celebrate the important role their craftiness has played in
making Sleeman one of Canada’s most iconic brands.”

As part of the campaign, Sleeman fans will be encouraged to share their
own life hacks via social media. The campaign will also benefit from
paid media support on key occasions throughout the summer.

Images of the re-designed packaging and :30 second spot are available
by request.

About Sleeman Breweries Ltd.

Sleeman Breweries Ltd. is the third largest brewing company nationwide.
The company has built an impressive portfolio of beer brands in Canada
that includes well-loved Canadian brands such as Sleeman, Okanagan
Spring and Unibroue, along with world-class beers including Sapporo and
Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Sapporo Breweries Ltd., known for its rigorous Japanese brewing
standards, acquired Sleeman in 2006. The company now markets and/or
distributes world-class domestic and imported products and is home to
1,000 employees nationwide.

About The&Partnership

The&Partnership is a modern communications agency uniquely built to
future-proof brands in today’s fiercely competitive environment. The
unique, multi-disciplinary partnership model operates under a
single-bottom line across disciplines. The agency’s capabilities span
multiple disciplines including advertising, media and CRM. In Canada,
The&Partnership has created bespoke, multi-disciplined agency units for
clients including TELUS, Manulife, and Toyota, as well as serving as
lead creative agency for Sleeman and Sapporo brands, Purolator and more.

The&Partnership has 1,500 employees in 56 offices across 25 countries.
For more information, visit the website at: http://www.theandpartnership.com.
Follow The&Partnership on Instagram @theandpartnership.

Contacts

Peter Epstein or Mark Ballard
Harmonica / The&Partnership
[email protected]
or [email protected]
+1
323-251-3567 or +1 646-391-0453

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

For the last half century, thousands of communications professionals have turned to us to deliver their news to the audiences most important to their business through the sources they trust most. Over that time, we've gone from a single office with one full time employee to more than 500 employees in 32 bureaus.