Platform was founded in 2014 on the premise that collaboration should be at the cornerstone of everything that they do. Platform now has taprooms in Clevelnad, Columbus, Cincinnati, a production facility in Cleveland, and a sour beer facility in Cleveland. They distribute throughout Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York City, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
Because of their regional, fast-pace growth, Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired Platform Beer Co. in August of 2019.
CHALLENGE
While working for Platform, innovation was at the forefront of their mission. To drive traffic to the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati taprooms, new annual beer events were created to get the public excited about new releases and awareness of the ever-changing offerings of the brand.
The branding and content created for each event were unique to the beer being served. As innovators in the craft beer world, it was important for Platform to be industry leaders in the eyes of the public. With each new event came success in the result of not only taproom sales and attendance, but also a spike in the sales distribution numbers across the market with new awareness.
PLATFORM IN THE WILD
BEER RELEASE PHOTO
CONTENT
Platform's annual beer events are centered around a single idea — either a specific beer category or a milestone. The event posters below showcase three of their headline events — Power of Sour, Haze Trip, and Platform's anniversary celebration. These events drastically increased taproom sales and attendance as well as product awareness in the market.
With each event came a strategy for promotion via print and social media. Content was created in the form of promotional posters, photos for social, creative copywriting, video. Each themed event also featured exlusive merch such as glassware, shirts, pennants, etc.
BEER EVENT POSTERS
MEDIA
Platform utilized local media for promotion on new releases and events. Print ads, shown below, were created each month promoting the newest buzz within the company. Print media included Cleveland Magazine, Pressure (CLE), Stock and Barrel (CBUS), and Cincinnati Magazine.
