BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO THE NATION’S OLDEST BEER

The opportunity to work on a fun and creative marketing campaign is a reward in itself. When that campaign is successful (in this case, it sells tons of beer), it’s even more rewarding. Throw in a nationally known award like the Public Relations Society of America’s Bronze Anvil, and you’ve got a campaign really worth bragging about.

Yuengling is known for its flagship beer, which everyone orders by name: “Lager.” But America’s Oldest Brewery came to us with the challenge of rejuvenating the first beer D.G. Yuengling ever bottled when he opened his brewery in 1829 – Lord Chesterfield Ale. Sales were low and awareness even lower, but the brand did have a small loyal following, which the company took as a sign that there were more people would appreciate its unique flavor. So we brought Lord Chesterfield back to life – literally and figuratively.

We started by creating the Chesterfield Society (www.chesterfieldsociety.com), an online fan club designed to unite and rally “Chetty” fans. Soon after, the beer’s noble namesake, a real-life 18th century British lord known for dispensing frank advice to all who would listen, was resurrected for a series of appearances during Philly Beer Week. During his visit to Philadelphia, he toured the city’s busy bars and pubs and encouraged beer drinkers everywhere to drink his lordly ale. (That’s him above with Yuengling’s own Wendy Yuengling.) Through events, social media (Facebook and Twitter), a blog, public relations, and his oversight of the Chesterfield Society, the beer’s fan club, we transformed Lord Chesterfield from an outdated historical figure into a blogging, tweeting, modern-day celebrity.

By the time the last pint was poured, Lord Chesterfield and his ale had become good copy for reporters in the Philadelphia region as well as subject matter for beer bloggers. The campaign also delivered more than 7.5 million online and print media impressions. People lined up to meet Chetty at events and, best of all, they lined up to buy his ale. Between July and September 2010, sales of Lord Chesterfield Ale were up nearly 22 percent in the Mid-Atlantic region over the previous year.

A profile of the campaign on the front page of Harrisburg’s Patriot-News and continued growth of Lord Chesterfield’s online fan base even resulted in an invitation for Lord Chesterfield to appear at Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s inaugural ball. Not bad for a guy who’s been pretty much nonexistent on the social scene for the past 227 years.