Would you serve a Michigan Ale with a Burger from Texas? NEVER!
How about a Michigan Honey Porter paired with Pork Belly from Kansas? What?
Or cheese from Wisconsin? Just Stop.
Stephanie and Lee at Cherry Capital Foods identified an important target market that is a perfect match with the products CCF provides: Michigan Microbreweries. Clearly, handcrafted Michigan beer deserves to be served with the highest quality made and grown in Michigan products - and Cherry Capital Foods is the ideal partner to deliver an extensive array of produce, proteins and value-added/specialty items, connecting chefs to the locally sourced, handcrafted products they need. The Marketing team at Tamarack Holdings has developed a comprehensive campaign to deliver this message to microbreweries across the state, within CCF fleet range.
The idea to focus on Microbreweries as a key customer target is based in large part on the success that CCF is already experiencing with current brewery customers like New Holland Brewing. Stormcloud, River’s Edge and Bell’s. The folks at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, capture the core idea perfectly in this testimonial (featured in the campaign blog): “We are dedicated to serving food that not only matches the quality of the beer we brew, but also carries the beliefs of sustainability and ethicality that are cornerstones of our company. We try our best to serve food sourced from Michigan farmers that is non-GMO and organic. We hope to push the boundaries of what high volume restaurants can do with locally sourced, organic ingredients.”
Clearly stated goals are critical, so we identified five key objectives for the Microbrewery campaign:
- Leverage the existing success with current Microbrewery customers (i.e. Bell’s and New Holland) to establish credibility and capture additional sales from this targeted channel
- Grow overall sales among current Microbrewery customers - specifically: Increase 5 current Microbrewery customers business by 10% each by Dec 31, 2016
- Add 5 new Microbrewery customers who are spending $1000+/month by Dec 31, 2016.
- Position CCF as a resource to help Microbreweries develop MI-centric menu concepts that in turn utilize MI products distributed by CCF
- Create general awareness of CCF as the largest purveyor of Michigan-Only products
We established our key campaign messages:
- CCF can connect microbreweries with the locally sourced and handcrafted products they need
- “Let us help you create an amazing, Michigan-centric menu that is as authentic and special as your handcrafted beer” (your food should be as special as your beer)
- MI beer and MI food are a natural fit
- Cherry Capital Foods = We Put the “TO” in Farm To Table
- Special Offer to attract new customers: 15% off your first order
Creative Direction:
- Tie beer and food together with MI theme (“Michigan beer goes with MI food”)
- Show beautiful/appetizing images of beer/food pairings
- Overall theme/feel: friendly, authentic, fun -- tongue in cheek but not stuffy
Campaign Elements:
Targeted Facebook ad
Landing page on CCF website
Print ad in Michigan Beer Guide (Nov. publication)
Blog article (CCF newsletter and new web landing page)
Direct mail piece with magnet (in production)
Eblast (in production)
Print ad
Mailer front
Mailer back
We’re excited about this campaign, and very optimistic about the potential for a comprehensive, carefully planned and targeted effort like this to drive new business and sales. We’ll keep you posted on how the results stack-up against our campaign objectives!
- Wendy Becker and Erin O'Malley