US Brewers Association Celebrates Independent Beer Ahead of Independence Day

Honouring the spirit of American Independence, the summer and beer’s biggest holiday – July 4th – Sterling-Rice Group has created an integrated advertising campaign for the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, that declares July 3 “National Independent Beer Run Day.”

With the insight that the July 4th weekend is the biggest week for beer sales annually, SRG saw an opportunity to tie into 4th of July and its celebration of independence, by creating a companion holiday, “National Independent Beer Run Day.” The celebration calls on beer lovers to seek the independent craft brewer seal and purchase craft beers produced by small and independent brewers for their Independence Day festivities.

“What I love in particular about this campaign is that in a ‘Small Business Saturday’ type of way it reminds people to think about and support independent business people – specifically independent craft brewers - on Independence Day,” explained Adam Wohl, executive creative director at SRG. He added that “this campaign also builds upon the foundation and success of our previous campaigns by continuing to bring awareness to the independent craft brewers seal and what it represents.”

Through a series of humor-driven ads, we find that even when the hot dogs, sunscreen or even fireworks are forgotten, as long as the independent craft beer is served, the celebrations will continue. The videos will be marketed across a wide array of social media and digital channels. Audio spots and summer-themed sponsored playlists will also appear on Pandora Radio. Additionally, the Brewers Association will stream a world record attempt at the longest cheers ever, toasting all 7,300 small and independent U.S. craft breweries. CraftBeer.com—the Brewers Association website for beer lovers—will also support the effort with a collection of informative content. Beer lovers are invited to join the National Independent Beer Run Day Facebook Event for updates.

“Craft beer serves as the anchor for so many Independence Day celebrations. Our libations and the liberation we’re celebrating should go hand in hand. As you plan for this Fourth of July, think independent and drink independent,” said Julia Herz, craft beer program director, Brewers Association. “In preparation for the country’s favorite summer holiday, make sure your beer run includes independent craft beer.”

Independence Day is among the most critical for craft breweries. Based on IRI scan data, the week leading up to July 4th has been the highest single sales week of the year for each of the last five years. The data suggests sales that week are 35% higher than a typical week. In addition, SRG research found that more than half of beer lovers (53%) indicated that independent ownership is important when purchasing a beer.