Firestone Walker Brewing Company (FWBC) is revealing expansive summer marketing efforts for its family of brands, featuring 805 Beer, Mind Haze, Cali Squeeze and its lineup of Firestone craft beers. The campaigns continue FWBC’s most ambitious marketing effort to date with strong media investments, brand partnerships, trade efforts and experiential programming.
805 BEER “SUMMER OF CERVEZA” – NEW CAMPAIGNS ACROSS ESPN, HULU, META, OOH, BRAND PARTNERSHIPS, 805 FILMS AND GLOBAL ATHLETES.
Fresh off the Q1 “This Is 805 Beer” campaign narrated by The White Buffalo, FWBC plans a seasonal push for 805 with the “Summer of Cerveza,” a spirited take on a summer of sun-soaked pursuits highlighting 805 Cerveza, a laid-back, beach-inspired lager brewed with lime. The latest ad spot delivers on 805’s trailblazing lifestyle ethos with pro surfers Lakey Peterson and Nate Tyler; Hispanic Cumbia Rock Band Tropa Magica; and pro skater Greyson Fletcher. Media include ESPN, HULU, META, and the World Surf League’s (WSL) streaming broadcast channels. Corresponding in-store POS and prominent out-of-home advertising will continue throughout the summer season alongside major brand partnerships with the WSL, Born Free Motorcycle Show and Fasthouse, and a widespread events calendar. 805 Cerveza also hits trade with new packaging, including clear glass bottles and updated carrier packaging that accentuates the beer’s crushable and refreshing character.
The “Summer of Cerveza” belongs to a larger holistic brand effort, the biggest ever for 805 Beer, spanning immersive culture marketing, strategic partnerships, trade programming and the brand’s continued commitment to emotive storytelling through 805 Films. 805 Beer’s flagship 805 Blonde Ale is the #1 bestselling craft beer in California and Nevada, while 805 Cerveza has climbed to #5 in California. 805 Blonde Ale is the 13th bestselling craft beer in the nation with distribution in just 16 states.
805 AUTHENTICOS – MARKETING THROUGH THE LENS OF THE CONSUMER
805 continues to showcase and grow its cast of brand ambassadors, who are fondly referred to as “Authenticos”— a team of athletes, artists, shapers and creators who embody the mindset and trailblazing spirit of 805. The team includes the recent additions of pro surfer Lakey Peterson and acclaimed pro mountain biker Tyler McCaul and a vast array of ambassadors, including pro surfer Conner Coffin, X-Games champions Tyler Bereman and Vicki Golden, top MMA fighter Tabatha Ricci, boxer Karlos Balderas, pro mountain bike rider Ryan “R-Dog” Howard, pro skater Greyson Fletcher, acclaimed musicians The White Buffalo, Sum 41’s Frank Zummo, Tropa Magica, and Jade Jackson, as well as pro snow athletes Gabe Taylor and Ryan McElmon, Babes Ride Out cofFounders Anya Violet and Ashmore Ellis, former professional bull rider Stetson Lawrence and trail rider Gillian Larson among others.
805 FILMS – DRIVING EMOTIVE BRAND CONNECTION THROUGH STORYTELLING
A lineup of new 805 Films projects includes the upcoming short Till the Lights Go Out, documenting life on the road with singer-songwriter The White Buffalo, a.k.a. Jake Smith. Film projects also include a live studio recording session with global touring musician Frank Zummo of Sum 41, revealing how his tenacity and drive led him to go from the nosebleeds at rock concerts to performing with his childhood idols in stadiums packed with fans. For the 4th of July, 805 Beer will also drop an exclusive acoustic live performance video of This Land Is Your Land performed by country singer-songwriter Jade Jackson, and the Keith Malloy-directed documentary Another Eight Seconds, which chronicles the life of 10-time PBR finalist Stetson Lawrence, whose bull riding career was cut short prematurely due to a severe neck injury. Rounding out the summer is a new film titled Duality, featuring X-Games gold medalists and pro-freestyle MX riders Tyler Bereman and Vicki Golden as the two icons blend their unique motocross-freeriding aesthetic in an art-driven film.
The summer season will also see new episodes of the “Cold Beer Surf Club,” an original podcast series from 805 Beer and the World Surf League, hosted by 805 Authentico and California pro surfer Conner Coffin. Previous episodes feature the Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett, surf icon Chris Malloy and pro surfer Sage Erickson. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Music and WSL channels.
CANS IN HANDS – 805 BRAND PARTNERSHIPS AND EVENTS FROM WORLD SURF LEAGUE, BORN FREE, BABES RIDE OUT, TO FASTHOUSE AND RED BULL – CONNECTING WITH DRINKERS IN THE WILD.
The summer season also amplifies FWBC’s experiential marketing efforts, immersing 805 Beer in culturally important endeavors, music festivals and events, through strategic longstanding partnerships, including the World Surf League and the US Open of Surfing, America’s largest pro surf event (August 3-11 in Huntington Beach, CA), The Born Free Motorcycle Show, Lightning in a Bottle music festival, Red Bull Day in the Dirt, Fast House Surfer Cross, Babes Ride Out, and more events throughout the summer lending to FWBC’s goal of sampling half a million cans of beer in 2024.
Additionally, on June 1, Firestone Walker will host the annual Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest featuring an all-star cast of more than 60 breweries from around the world, as well as more than two dozen local restaurants, chefs and food purveyors along with a live concert by singer-songwriter The White Buffalo. Since its inaugural event in 2012, the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest has become renowned as one of the world’s most esteemed beer festivals. This year’s fest marks a weeklong beer culture celebration on the Central Coast, with a runup of pub crawls featuring the fest’s collaboration beer with Half Acre Beer Company and other rare beers. FWBC will also host a block party on Friday, May 31, at their Paso Robles Brewery and Taproom, featuring exclusive tours, cold beer and good eats. FWBC will host a post-fest Taproom Brunch on Sunday, June 2.
SETTING THE STAGE FOR 8ZERO5
Closing the summer season, FWBC will introduce 8ZERO5, a non-alcoholic blonde coming in at less than 0.5% ABV, in 6-pack cans. The first non-alc under the 805 brand family has been in development under the tutelage of brewmaster Matt Brynildson for more than two years, testing at FWBC’s taprooms under the project name “Good Decisions” with additional development through 805’s roster of athletes. 8ZERO5 will initially launch in California. Expect media support and ambassador-driven campaigns highlighting the myriad of drinking occasions ranging from the soundcheck to the after-party.
MIND HAZE “LET YOUR MIND WANDER”
Meanwhile, Firestone Walker’s Mind Haze family of IPAs continues to build momentum behind the original Mind Haze Tropical Hazy IPA, including this summer’s “Let Your Mind Wander” campaign. Two new extensions were released earlier this year: Mind Haze Brain Melter, a Hazy Imperial IPA (8.5% ABV), and Mind Haze Cosmic Crusher, a Juicy Imperial IPA (9.5% ABV). Mind Haze Tropical Hazy IPA (6.2% ABV) ranks as a top five national bestselling IPA.
The latest ad push features Mind Haze immersed in a hazy euphoria with psychedelic visuals and flavor cues. This high-art effort will be delivered across connected TV, digital media channels, trade, and out-of-home.
CALI SQUEEZE “REAL BEER. REAL FRUIT. REAL LIFE.”
Firestone Walker’s Cali Squeeze brand of fruit-forward beers is also seeing explosive growth and will roll into summer behind a campaign titled “Real Beer. Real Fruit. Real Life.” Featuring Cali Squeeze’s roster of “Cali Creators,” the campaign’s ad spot will highlight how the brand reflects the laid-back, uncomplicated expectations of a new generation of beer drinkers. The spot will stream on Hulu, ESPN, YouTube, Meta, and social platforms. Corresponding in-store POS and out-of-home advertising will continue throughout the summer season. Concurrently, Cali Squeeze is launching a new Cali Squeeze Variety Pack with four signature wheat ales brewed with real fruit, including the all-new Cali Squeeze Peach Pomegranate.
FIRESTONE IPA MIXED PACKS – “GREAT BEER FOR THOSE WITH EVEN BETTER TASTE”
Rounding out the summer effort, FWBC expands on its premium craft offerings, featuring a lineup of award-winning beers, including the release of Firestone XPA (Extra Pale Ale – 5.0% ABV) and the brewer’s new Beer Before Glory IPA Mixed Pack featuring the latest IPA innovation Firestone IPA (California Style IPA – 6.5% ABV), Union Jack (West Coast IPA – 7.0% ABV), Hopnosis (Cold IPA – 6.7% ABV) and the reintroduction of Luponic Distortion (Experimental IPA – 5.9%). The campaign Great Beer For Those With Even Better Taste celebrates the brewer’s commitment to the pursuit of the perfect beer ever since Adam Firestone and David Walker founded the brewery in 1996.
More at 805beer.com and FirestoneWalker.com
Raymond
Terry Bunch
