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Samuel Adams bundles mobile advertising, Instagram for multichannel product launch

Samuel Adams is using a combination of a mobile sweepstakes, advertising and social media together to help introduce a new seasonal Belgian-style beer to the United States market. 

The new marketing campaign supports the launch of a spring beer called Cold Snap. Samuel Adams has turned to mobile quite a few times over the past few years as a way to more directly connect with consumers as part of multichannel marketing mixes.

?Far beyond hops and barley, beer brands sell an experience,? said Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer of Mobivity, Phoenix. 

?When you think about Corona, its 'Find Your Beach' messaging is memorable and effective,? he said. ?Instagram is an ideal vehicle, enabling consumers to show themselves enjoying the lifestyle.?

Mr. Hasen is not affiliated with Samuel Adams. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Samuel Adams did not respond to press inquiries. 

Brewing up a marketing campaign
Samuel Adams is running audio ads on Spotify?s iPhone application with the brand?s ?For the Love of Beer? slogan.

The audio ads promote Cold Snap and consumers are encouraged to learn more about the beer by clicking though a full-page ad.

The ad redirects consumers to a Samuel Adams microsite that features a sweepstakes. The beer brand is giving out five $100 grand prizes. Other prizes include branded gear.

Consumers are prompted to create a virtual flight of Samuel Adams beers to enter the sweepstakes. To qualify for the grand prize, Cold Snap must be incorporated into the flight.

Additionally, consumers can create a name and description for their flight. Once the beer selections have been made, consumers can share their creation on Facebook.

Spurring consumers to engage with the brand through a virtual game that ties into Facebook is a smart move for Sam Adams to get the word out about its new product through a combination of social media and mobile.

Samuel Adams is also leveraging Instagram to promote Cold Snap through the hashtag #SnapOutOfIt. Tagged photos are showcased on the site, and clicking on one prompts a new browser window to open.

From there, consumers can choose to open the picture in Instagram if the app is already downloaded. Users can also download the Instagram app from Apple?s App Store or Google Play by clicking on the photo.

Instagram not only gives consumers a peek at the new products, but can also help drive sales for Sam Adams.

According to a new study from marketing professors at the University of Michigan, unfiltered photos and uploads from consumers who post semi-regularly with a high number of followers are best suited at driving sales for marketers.

The professors tracked consumers? reactions to more than 130,000 images across 61 retail sites that use the photo-management tool Olapic.

Hop on mobile
In 2013, Samuel Adams leveraged QR codes on posters to promote its Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream microloan program (see story).

Samuel Adams also used QR codes to build brand awareness for holiday 2012 on its coasters (see story). 

In this case, using a mixture of different mediums helps the beer brand reach a wide group of consumers.

?Since beer brands often have relatively large budgets, the decision to use a mix of mobile mediums in a campaign makes sense,? Mr. Hasen said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York