Hop Valley Brewing Co's 'Stash Heroes' Campaign Supports Men's Health

The world of craft beer can feel daunting and inaccessible - perceived to be filled with 'beer snobs,' featuring big bold tastes and (at times) intimidating flavours. Enter Hop Valley Brewing Co., born out of the most eclectic area of the Pacific North-West - Eugene, Oregon - with a mission to change this perception, creating IPAs that are beyond approachable.

This November, inspired by the brand’s roots and fearless eccentricity, Hop Valley is introducing a new brand platform developed by newly appointed partner agency, Diamond. Aimed at Making Space for Everyone, the first campaign came to life with the brand’s latest support of men’s health through a partnership and donation to Movember. 

On the appointment of Diamond as agency partner, Olivier Lemieux, national brand manager for Hop Valley at Molson Coors says, “The team at Diamond created a new brand communication platform that’s deeply rooted in our Hop Valley brand’s ethos, history, our commercial goals, and marketing strategy. Mostly, they’ve prepared a clear path for this creative solution to come to life in the next years through an integrated ecosystem of activities. This Movember Canada 'Stash Hero's' activation is just the beginning.’’

Understanding that not everyone can grow a moustache, the brand sought to make the support of men’s health more accessible for everyone with the introduction of Stash Heroes. A moustache surrogate for those that can’t grow, the brand enlisted the help of influential Stash Heroes to kick off the campaign which included a $25,000 donation from Hop Valley to Movember Canada. The crew created content, inspiring followers to join team Hop Valley by donating to the cause by finding a Stash Hero or becoming one themselves, supported by paid media to drive further awareness.

“While there are multiple ways to support men’s health through Movember - the iconic ‘grow a mo’ call to action is not something achievable for all,” says Anand Iyer, creative director at Diamond. “Inspired by Hop Valley’s IPA Bubble Stash, we loved the idea of Stash Heroes activating as surrogates, making it more accessible for all those that want to support men’s health without the upper lip to support it. It felt perfect for the brand that Hop Valley is.” 

The Hop Valley Stash Heroes will be supporting Movember Canada all month long by growing a mo and highlighting the various ways those more follically-challenged can participate. Hop Valley is also committed to raise or donate $50,000 nationally on top of its initial $25,000 donation in 2023, for a total of $75,000.

In addition to the new brand platform, the campaign was developed by agency partner, Diamond, inclusive of strategy, creative, production and influencer engagement with paid media handled by Wavemaker Global. This first campaign marks the beginning of the Diamond and Hop Valley partnership with more work coming throughout 2024 and beyond.