Dr.

Cronin MAR 5125

Molson Canada
Evolution of Social Media and Marketing

Lauren Masterson, Emily Monteiro, Tanyaporn Nathakijiar, Emily Olesik,

and Sydney Rotar
July 22, 2013
 The following analysis will discuss Molson Company’s rich history. It will look at their
efforts to pioneer new arenas in social media marketing, including an initial failed attempt. It
will also examine how the company has moved forward and strengthened their online presence.
Finally, this will identify how Molson Canada can strengthen their efforts and continue their
success through social media marketing.

Background
In operation since 1786, the Molson Company is Canada’s oldest beer brewery. Molson
Canada is part of the Molson Company founded by John Molson. Throughout the last fifty years,
the Molson Company’s approach features a strategy of active acquisition and now includes many
different brands. It is currently the seventh largest brewery in the world. Their headquarters are
located in Montreal, Quebec, where the company was established more than 350 years ago, and
Denver, Colorado.
Molson partnered with SABMiller, one of the world’s leading brewers, forming Miller
Coors, to create a stronger, more competitive brewer in the U.S. When this partnership began in
2007, it was anticipated that Molson would have annual combined beer sales of 69 million U.S.
barrels and net revenues of approximately $6.6 billion (SABMiller press release
2007). Although they took a hit from the economic downfall in 2008, the partnership between
Molson and SABMiller proved to be generally profitable for both brands. In August 2010, about
two years into the partnership, it was reported that Miller Coors achieved double-digit underlying
profit grown in the second quarter of that year.

Target Market
The Miller Coors joint venture created the second largest brewer in the U.S., trailing only
Anheuser Busch, controlling 30% of the U.S. market (Fuhrmann 2010). Molson Coors is the
second largest brewer in Canada, behind the Labatt brand, owned by the same company that
owns Anheuser Busch, InBev. The Labatt brand has 44% of the market share in Canada, while
Molson Coors only holds 40%. The Molson Company has experienced great success merging
with companies, such as Carling, Coors, and partnering with SABMiller. They have continued to
expand and now market many popular brands of beer. Some of the most recognized brands
include Molson Canadian, Coors Light, Rickard’s Red, and Pilsner (Qureshi 2008).
Because Molson has a large product line ranging from light beers to craft beers to
traditional lagers, they are able to penetrate a large portion of the consumer market in the beer
industry. Individuals in their twenties and early thirties make up a highly coveted market for
beer brewing companies. According to a 2011 study by the Harris Poll, nearly 75% of young
adults (ages 21 to 34) say beer is their drink of choice. Additionally, 56% of people in this age
range use social media networks (Widrich 2013). Since this generation largely uses social
media, Molson Canada can use these forums to improve brand recognition through interaction
with its target consumers.
“Cold Shots”
The purpose of social media marketing is to grow a company’s existing customer
network, to build stronger relationships with consumers and increase customer awareness of the
brand. Although Molson has utilized social media in many of their marketing strategies, they
have experienced a few glitches along the way and have not yet found the best way for their
company to use social media to grow their brand.
In October of 2007, Molson Canada launched a photo contest targeting members of the
company’s Facebook fan page. The intent of this contest, “Campus Cold Shots Challenge” was
to amplify word-of-mouth and increase brand awareness. Molson set up albums on Facebook
dedicated to photographs submitted by students. The entries documented students enjoying
Molson products in a social setting. Students from colleges across the country were encouraged
to submit photos for the opportunity to have their alma mater named the “Number One Party
School” and the winning photo received a trip for four to Cancun, Mexico.
Administrators and nonparticipating students from the schools complained that this campaign,
“Cold Shots,” promoted irresponsible drinking habits such as binge drinking. These critics from
the Canadian universities felt that Molson’s “Cold Shot” was creating a bad image and reputation
for the college (Meaney 2007).
Because Molson was experimenting with the usage of social media they were unaware
how specific they needed to be in regards to the parameters of the contest. They did not define
their expectation of social drinking versus binge drinking nor were they monitoring the images
being posted prior to public display on the forum. A week before the contest was scheduled to
end, Molson Canada shut down the operation.
Molson Coors has always considered themselves to be promoters of legal and responsible
drinking habits. Their code of conduct stresses this effort stating, “As a manufacturer of
alcoholic beverages, Molson Coors is committed to promoting legal and responsible decisions
about drinking our products” (Molson Coors 2013).
The Molson Company, in particular Molson’s vice president of Government and Public
Affairs, Ferg Devins, emphasized the role community involvement plays in the Molson heritage.
Molson’s most successful marketing campaign to date tied community involvement to their
brand with the “I AM. CANADIAN” campaign.

Campaigns
Molson Canada develops campaigns to drive sales by appealing to the nationalism felt by
their target market. “The conventional wisdom was that Canadians viewed patriotism as an ugly
trait, but research [shows] that [is] no longer the case for the younger generation” (Krashinsky
2013). By appealing to their consumers’ patriotism through fun and innovative campaigns,
Molson has maximized on their brand name. A partner for Rethink, Molson’s new advertising
agency, reflects, “’we’re lucky in that our name is Canadian, and we can do this. People
recognize the brand as being part of this country, like Tim Hortons and hockey’” (Krashinsky
2013).
“I AM. CANADIAN.” Campaign
“I AM. CANADIAN” was the slogan used for the Molson Canadian brand from 1994 to
2010. The campaign was supplemented with popular television ads that focused on the personal
pride of Canadian, and played off many popular stereotypes. The popular “Rant” advertisement
helped Molson Canadian’s market share increase by 2.5 percent that year. Meanwhile, their
biggest competitor, Labatt Blue, fell 3 percent in market share. “It also increased the number of
drinkers between the legal age and 24 who named it as their regular brand; a key segment for
future growth” (Krashinsky 2013).
Molson Canada made the decision to switch from the ‘I AM. CANADIAN.” slogan to the
new idea of “Made from Canada” during the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, at a time when
consumers were becoming bored with the brand. The change brought the first market share
growth Molson Canadian had seen in nine years (Shaw 2012)
While the “I AM. CANADIAN” campaign had grown stale it “’never really left the
public consciousness. It is a part of [Canada’s] cultural identity, and a part of this brand’s
identity’” (Huffington Post Canada 2013). Thus, Molson Canada revived the slogan on social
media and physical product this year for the ten days leading up to Canada Day. July
1st. Molson offered apparel and novelties with the slogan and fans were encouraged to change
their profile pictures to a specific “I AM. CANADIAN.” photo.

“Make Your Mark” Campaign

The “Make your Mark” campaign is also making another appearance in 2013. The
campaign extends the ideals of the “Made from Canada” slogan by “creating the image that
Canadians make their mark wherever they go” (McDonald 2013).
Using this campaign, Molson encourages consumers to post photos to their personal
accounts on the picture-sharing site Instagram with the “hashtag: #molsoncanadian.” The photos
posted by fans should “show [Molson and its fans] what it means to be Canadian” (MolsonCoors
2013). Judges at Molson pick the photos that best represent the campaign and post them in a feed
on their website as a way to involve individual consumers in their marketing efforts.
This campaign attempts to solve the oversights that plagued the “Campus Cold Shots Challenge”
by defining specific rules for the submission of photos.
Photos submitted must only include individuals of the legal drinking age,
who all consent to the submission to the photo. They must also be “tasteful and
respectful”; that is, they cannot contain “nudity, profanity, or obscene
gestures…consumption of alcohol or empty bottles, glasses, cans or kegs.” It is
not required that Molson products be in the photos. Here, we see that the focus is
on Canadian culture rather than encouraging destructive behaviors (Molson
Canadian 2013).
Molson then held a contest to win a trip to Dublin, Ireland.The contest focused on sales.
Events were held at bars near universities around Canada. Each Molson Canadian beverage
purchase earned contestants a “ballot.” The more ballots earned, the greater the chance of
winning the grand prize drawing. Twelve winners were flown to Ireland, their newest
distribution location. Their adventures were documented through pictures and video as they
“Made their Mark” on Dublin. This created additional content to “become part of the
conversation on social media” (Krashinsky 2013).

Social Media Presence

Currently the company maintains Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts, with some
presence on Pinterest and Instagram, as well. Facebook is a social network, where users create
individual profiles and then “friend”, or link, to other users’ profiles, creating a complicated web
of individuals. Facebook is currently at the forefront of the social media world, with 74% of
marketers agreeing that the site is important to their lead generation strategies (Soskey 2013).
MolsonCanadian hosts a Facebook page with 578,784 users following the brand. They use their
page to share updates on the brand, beer-related content, and user-submitted photos. They also
reply to every single post made on the page by an outside user, both positive and negative, as
quickly as possible, usually within an hour (MolsonCanadian 2013).
Twitter involves posting small amounts of content like thoughts, photos, and external
links to websites to a user profile. Users connect to one another to “follow” bits of information
shared by that user. MolsonCoors offers two different twitter accounts, named “MolsonCoors”
and “MolsonCoorsCanada”. “MolsonCoors” “tweets,” or posts content, from their Denver
headquarters, and concentrates on posting company updates. “MolsonCoorsCanada” actively
engages with Twitter users, providing customer service, fun beer-related content, and ultimately
boasting more followers than their Denver counterpart.
Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board, where users can save visual pictures to their own
account, organized by topic, that link to an external site with more information. Users can again
connect to one another, or “follow” another users account, and thus their pin boards. Currently,
MolsonCanadian does not utilize Pinterest. The site’s visual appeal can be a huge benefit for
brands utilizing the website, as 25% of Pinterest’s 20 million users have purchased an item after
seeing it on the site. Users are also two times as likely to purchase an item linked by Pinterest
than they are by Facebook.
Instagram, recently bought out by Facebook, is a photo sharing site. Users create a profile
where they can upload photos, seen by other users that follow their profile. While Molson
Canada does not host it’s own Instagram account, it utilizes the site for contests. Fans of the
brand are encouraged to upload photos with a “hashtag” followed by a pre-determined brand
phrase (#MolsonCanadian) to enter specific contests. The hash tag links the individual photo to
all others with the same caption. This creates a library of photos uploaded for the Molson
Canadian contest. If MolsonCanadian were to create an Instagram account, they would be able to
upload their own photos to share with users, and create a following of fans interested in the
brand.
Problem Identification
Through the use of social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, Molson Canada
attempts to target specific groups of customers. Social media is an ever-changing forum. Using
social media marketing presents problems that Molson Canada must address to be successful.
The problems that will be discussed in the following sections are (1) Relevancy and Presence, (2)
Informal Environment and (3) Consistent Company Image.

(1) Relevancy and Presence

Relevancy is an aspect of marketing that is constantly changing and evolving. The issue
with relevancy is determining how to connect with the target market. Molson Canada aims to use
social media to the company’s advantage by adding additional depth to the brand. Molson
Canada began with their “Campus Cold Shots Challenge” as a means of interacting with students
across Canada. Facebook was still new in 2007, so Molson Canada explored a new medium for
interacting with consumers and fans. The company’s initial campaign was unsuccessful. Since
then, they have worked to interact with the market in more appropriate means. Molson Canada is
confronted with the obstacle of ensuring their interactions are appropriate and uphold the Molson
mission.
By using social media marketing, Molson Canada must create a meaningful presence in a
world of over-sharing. The problem is that Facebook, and other social media sites, are overrun
with pictures, stories, and statuses. Molson must create posts that reach and impact the consumer.
They face the obstacle of standing out in a sea of mundane posts. It is essential to determine what
will differentiate Molson from all the other content on these sites. Molson Canada must
determine how to overcome the hurdle of being lost in obscurity for social media marketing to be
an economical and time worthy endeavor.

(2) Informal Environment

Social Media is an informal environment. Molson must find a balance between matching
the relaxed nature of social media while maintaining traditional advertising guidelines that
uphold the company’s brand and image.
Molson should ensure that all posts made by company representatives uphold the
company’s ideals. It is easy to relax standards since it is free to use social media. In contrast,
when a company uses traditional advertising, the company will review an ad extensively because
of the associated cost. Because a company’s visibility on social media sites may be higher than
traditional advertising, Molson must find a way to participate while still following their protocol
for traditional advertising.
The Internet allows anyone to post anything they wish and do so anonymously. This
poses a potential threat due to the lack of control Molson Canada faces once something is posted
on any of the forums. After something is published it can be altered or misinterpreted by anyone
and is forever in the realm of the internet for all to see. If anyone has the capability to post
comments or photos on the website, Molson must determine how to respond to posts that are
considered detrimental but still maintain its professionalism and integrity.

(3) Consistent Company Image

With new endeavors, Molson must be mindful to maintain a consistent image. Molson’s
“Campus Cold Shots Challenge” contest did not parallel the company’s mission to encourage
social responsibility. The images in the contest contained very intoxicated students. Molson was
criticized by faculty of and nonparticipating students of the schools for encouraging young
people to binge drink. The company was also criticized for posting images of drunken students
on their Facebook page. Because Molson Canada was experimenting with the usage of social
media, they were unaware of the necessity to regulate the content submitted. The company did
not define their expectations for the “Campus Cold Shots Challenge.” To retain a strong brand,
Molson needs to ensure all of their actions coincide with their mission statement by clearly
defining important rules and regulations.

Situation Analysis
Molson Canada rushed into social media marketing. The company launched their
“Campus Cold Shots” contest on Facebook without recognizing the ramifications that could
result. Molson Canada has since reinvented their social media presence and continues to uphold
their core values. There is room for improvement if Molson wishes to fully utilize social media
marketing. The following sections will look at what Molson does well and where they are
lacking.

Strengths
Molson Canada has updated their Facebook page. It now has a strong Canadian theme
along with many pictures and posts made by the page administrators. There is also a lot of
interactions from fans. By looking at the company’s Facebook page it is made clear that the
company regularly monitors posts on their Facebook page by their prompt responses to any
comments, questions or concerns.
Molson Canada has a strong brand image and customer following. The brand slogans “I
Am. Canadian” and “Made from Canada” demonstrate national pride. Looking at the company’s
Facebook page one can see that the fans also have great pride for Canada. This strong tie to
nationalism assists in brand recognition and loyalty within the country. Partner brands help
Molson Canada reach consumers in different regions including America, Asia and Europe.

Weaknesses
Molson Canada does not have company accounts on Pinterest or Instagram. Without
accounts on these social media sites Molson Canada has yet to reach all the possible online
markets. In addition, Molson has more than one Twitter account. The “MolsonCoors Canada”
account is more customer service based and the “MolsonCoors” account is based in Denver and
focuses on news. Due to the different user names the company has a low number of followers.
The company’s complex partnerships may cause brand confusion for potential customers;
for example, MolsonCoors, SABMiller, and MillerCoors are three corporate brands that all
house the same product group. This partnership inhibits the success of strong social media
marketing strategies in two ways: (1) oversaturation and (2) misunderstanding. Oversaturation
occurs as multiple social media accounts are created for the same product. A consumer is not
likely to follow multiple accounts in the same forum for the company. Consumers may
misunderstand the relationship of these corporate brands. This creates a barrier; potentially loyal
customers may mistakenly credit the wrong account with their loyalty.

Opportunities
Molson Canada is able to reach a large and diverse community through social media
sites. The company can use social media to create positive word of mouth and obtain free market
research through ideas posted by consumers on Molson’s accounts. Additionally, Molson is able
to advertise via Facebook at minimal cost. When the different accounts such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube are linked, Molson Coors Canada can develop stronger brand
recognition. Linking these accounts provides visibility that may not have been achieved with a
single forum.
Molson Canada can capitalize on free research and development. Whether the company
wishes to innovate a new beer flavor or merely determine where their product is lacking, Molson
Canada can use social media sites to their advantage. The company can poll consumers about
new products. Molson can survey consumers on which beers should be sold regularly and what
seasonal flavors beer drinkers would like to see. Through comments or direct message on
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram users can provide opinions on the products.
Another opportunity is mobile marketing. Many companies use downloadable
applications to offer coupons, events and contests only open to consumers that have signed up.
These applications can provide information on products as well as Molson’s social media
accounts and the company web page. It provides a one stop shop for the Molson enthusiast.

Threats
There is a possibility of damaging posts made by internet users. Since anyone can post on
social media sites, it is hard to control the content. Molson Canada will need to regularly monitor
their own accounts to monitor what consumers post on Molson’s Facebook, Twitter Pinterest and
Instagram accounts. Due to high usage of these social media accounts any negative posts could
damage the company’s reputation and affect prospective consumers’ perception of the brand.
Molson can damage its own image if it fails to respond appropriately. Social media
channels make it easier for Molson to interact with its consumers but this poses a risk if Molson
is not mindful of its interactions. Once a post is published, it is forever captured on the Internet.
 Another threat to Molson is saturation of social media sites. All of Molson’s competitors
have similar social media accounts. Molson must be careful not to alienate its followers with
meaningless content. Also, Molson faces the possibility of a competitor stealing innovative ideas
that are posted publicly on one of Molson’s accounts.

Present Market Analysis

Molson Canada has learned to effectively use Facebook. When viewing their fan page a
Molson Canada representative responds to every post made by consumers. They are able to
address the threat of derogatory posts by capitalizing on this strength. Molson manages damage
control through quick, appreciative responses to complaints and concerns. The company can also
use their strong Facebook profile to help capitalize on research and development. The company
already has a lot of Facebook activity so they can periodically poll their followers for new ideas.
Molson uses a Beer Xchange program to incorporate the ideas and desires of its most
valued customers. No one can see the site unless they are a member. The program is by invite
only. This prevents competitors from accessing valuable market research information. By
connecting the Beer Xchange program more thoroughly to social media, we create more "instant
access". The sooner we can get information privately and securely, the better chance we have of
beating competition to the punch.
Molson Canada has strong brand recognition and ties with the Canadian culture. Their
Facebook page has a heavy Canadian theme. Molson Canada has the ability to capitalize on this
by continuing this theme on other accounts. Through integration they can create accounts on
Pinterest and Instagram to match their Facebook page. This would strengthen the brand and give
clear direction for Molson Canada. With the creation of clear and continuing themes Molson
Canada may be able to alleviate the confusion faced in regards to the varying names and brands
encompassed in their company.
Finally, Molson Canada can use their strong recognition and Facebook page to educate
users on a new mobile phone application. By advertising this they can gain users for the
application. As consumers see the benefits of the application, they will tell their friends and its
popularity will grow.

Alternatives
We have identified three alternatives to help further improve Molson’s social media
initiatives. These three strategies are: integrating their marketing campaigns with social media,
improving expanding Molson’s presence on various social media platforms, and creating a
MolsonCoors mobile phone application. It is important to note we support the improvements
Molson has made in their social media initiatives since the failed “Campus Cold Shots
Challenge” campaign. MolsonCoors strides to create a solid social media program have been
successful. Our goal is to embrace these programs and use specific marketing strategies to
enhance them.
An Expansion of Current Campaigns
Molson’s “Make Your Mark” and “I AM. CANADIAN.” campaigns focus around the
company’s patriotic branding. These campaigns successfully spark emotion in consumers,
encourage fans to interact with the brand, and create worldwide brand recognition. However, the
campaigns could each broaden their reach, interacting with more consumers by intertwining their
marketing campaigns with current social media resources to a greater extent. This integration
differs by campaign, and their unique strategies are discussed below.

“Make Your Mark”

Molson should consider hosting other contests, similar to the previous “Make Your
Mark” campaign, which had offered participants the chance to win a trip to Dublin. The new
campaign could spotlight a different destination where Molson Canadian is also sold. The contest
enticed customers at participating bars to choose Molson over competitors. As more Molson was
purchased, consumers’ odds of winning the trip increased. For future contests, we would
implement a digital, online version of the same “buy a Molson; earn a ballot” concept. A
Facebook application, which is defined as a program that is integrated with Facebook’s website
and downloaded by Canadian users onto their phones, will keep track of each customer’s
“ballots” digitally. Customers’ receipts at a bar could contain a code for each Molson product
purchased. The individual customer would enter these codes online via the Facebook application.
To earn additional ballots, codes can be printed inside cases of Molson beer and can be redeemed
by participants. This will entice customers to also purchase Molson over their competitors at
supermarkets and liquor stores.
By creating a digital application connected to Facebook, upon user agreement, Molson
can access additional consumer data and demographics upon user agreement. We can easily
pinpoint Molson’s most loyal customers by the number of ballots they collect and gather data
about the consumers. If Molson knows its most loyal customers, they can cater to the consumers’
needs and interests. This will help Molson develop a closer relationship with their customers and
create more profitability through loyalty.
The “Make Your Mark” application, on Facebook, will not only serve as a ballot-tracker,
but will provide benefits beyond the contest. It will serve as a central access point for the entire
campaign where Molson can describe the campaign and post related promotions. This will create
more visibility for “Make Your Mark” as a campaign. Users will download the app for the
contest, but will subsequently receive additional promotional benefits related to the campaign.
The application also provides a central spot for these users to share more stories inspired by “The
Canadian”, as they did in a previous contest. This added discussion will further enhance
interactions between Molson and it’s repeat customers.
“Make Your Mark” is important because it evokes an emotional reaction from Canadians
who can relate with Molson’s promotion of Canadian pride and their “Made from Canada”
philosophy. The Molson Facebook application compiles its users into a single forum to simplify
interaction and further research and development.
“I AM. CANADIAN”
We want to develop a long-term place in the Molson Canadian (a brand of MolsonCoors
beer) marketing strategy for the tried and true “I AM. CANADIAN.” Motto. While we plan to
keep the current motto, “Made from Canada,” as the official slogan for the brand, we’d like to
implement “I AM. CANADIAN.” promotions through social media. Molson Canadian’s senior
marketing manager, Chris Blackburn, explains the perceived value of the two slogans:
“While both platforms tap into the Canadian identity, Blackburn says
‘Made From Canada’ takes the product and its Canadian origins out into
the world. ‘I Am Canadian’ was centered around a declaration of Canadian
pride that captivated what it meant to be Canadian. It was very much about
the individual, whereas ‘Made From Canada,’ centers on the product story”
(Martin 2013).
So while “Made from Canada” focuses on the product, “I AM. CANADIAN” still has the
opportunity to thrive by connecting with individuals via social media. Canadians can use the
#IAMCANADIAN tagline in photos and status updates to demonstrate a sense of pride for their
country. They can change their profile picture on Facebook, and post photos centered on
upcoming events. Events may include Canada Day, the Olympics, the Stanley Cup, royal tours,
and other newsworthy events (i.e. a Canadian winning Wimbledon or a Canadian film winning
an Academy Award). As users share the “I AM. CANADIAN.” brand on their personal social
media pages, friends following their accounts will be exposed to the Molson motto. This
provides the opportunity to extend Molson’s reach by maximizing brand exposure. Current
customers are encouraging the rest of Molson’s target market to drink Molson because “it’s the
Canadian thing to do.”

An Expansion of Corporate Media Accounts

The next alternative is to expand the scope of Molson’s brand-wide social media
accounts. The expansion is twofold. First, Molson needs to ensure they actively maintain their
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts. Second, Molson needs to link and share
content between accounts to create a cohesive social media environment. For example, fans of
Molson’s Facebook page may notice content shared from Molson’s Instagram, which may spark
their interests. Linking accounts increases the likelihood they will follow Molson’s Instagram
account as well. Molson wants to have a meaningful presence across all large social media sites.
This means they need to remain visible to their followers regardless of which platform each
individual prefers. On the other hand, Molson does not want to oversaturate their accounts with
too many posts. They must strive for valuable content that will entice consumers to learn more
and interact with the brand.
Expanding Molson’s social media presence is extremely cost-efficient compared to the
previous alternative. All accounts suggested are free to create, and can provide Molson with
instantaneous, direct contact with their target market. This cuts down on the monetary costs
associated with promotions and giveaways. The time needed to generate interaction with
followers is also much shorter.
Pinterest
While a majority of Pinterest users are female, the percentage of male users has grown
from 20% to 28% since 2012 (Megginson 2013). Pinterest provides the opportunity to target
more male and female beer-drinkers with visual appeal. For example, a quick look at Molson’s
Facebook page offers a library of pictures, usually linked to some form of relevant content like
beer-related recipes. These links can be turned into “pins” and can target consumers who
previously hadn’t connected with the company.
Molson’s Pinterest account would expand on their product by providing ideas for recipes
using beer, meals to pair with beer, beer etiquette, DIY projects with a beer-focus (like a table
with a beer-console built in), and party ideas.With this creative and relevant content, Molson can
reach a different demographic of beer enthusiasts (i.e. women). The Director of Marketing for
wikiHow, whose Pinterest account drives traffic to their website four times as much as
Facebook, explains the advantage of this medium: “Pinterest gives us the ability to build a long-
term audience around popular, creative and visual content. Over time, this is an opportunity to
build recognition of our brand” (Pinterest, 2013).
Many companies offer “Pin it to Win it” contests. Molson, for example, could encourage
users to pin relevant content like “a favorite beer recipe” along with a hashtag for a weekly
chance to win a case of beer.This will increase visibility and brand awareness because users will
be pinning the Molson brand to their personal pages for their entire group of followers to
see.While Molson is able to offer contests without setting up its own Pinterest account, it cannot
post to its own boards, or create a permanent presence on the site for users to follow.
The major limitation of Pinterest is its narrow topic focus. Recipes, crafts, clothing, home
décor, and party planning are among the most popular topics discussed. While there is room for
beer-related content in these categories, it will be difficult for a social media manager
maintaining Molson’s Pinterest account to consistently provide new, valuable content that is
attractive to the typical Pinterest user.

Instagram
Molson currently utilizes the Instagram application for contests like the “Make Your
Mark” Instagram contest. Currently, Molson asks contest entrants to caption their Instagram
submission photos with “#molsoncanadian”, creating a link to other photos with the same
caption. If Molson Canadian hosted its own Instagram account, entrants could link Molson’s
physical account directly to their photos in the caption with the phrase “@MolsonCanadian.”
The only way to include this “tag,” or link to an account, is to first “follow”, or subscribe, to
Molson’s Instagram. Users following the Molson account will see the photo’s uploaded by the
company on their home page as they are posted.
The current incentive for submitting “Make your Mark” Instagram photos is the chance
for users to see their own photos on the Molson website. We could further incentivize this
program by posting the photos to the MolsonCanadian Instagram account. This would be more
convenient and visible to Instagram users than posting photos to a separate website, creating
added incentive to submit photos.
 The advantage of an Instagram account is increased visibility. In addition to user
submissions, Molson can post pictures debuting new products, upcoming events, and
promotions. Followers of Molson’s account will have visual reinforcement of the brand which
will hopefully make them more likely to try new products, attend events, and take advantage of
promotions.
The only disadvantage in creating a MolsonCanadian Instagram account, is the
maintenance cost. A representative must dedicate ample time to maintain the account and to
regularly upload meaningful content to keep users interest.

Create a Mobile Application

The third alternative addresses the growing trend of mobile marketing. Almost all social
media platforms have an application (app) for smartphones and external apps now have the
ability to interact with forums like Facebook and Twitter. An example of a draw for consumers
to download this app is a map feature within the app could provide information to users about
nearby events and which bars are offering specials. The application can link the user to
“Facebook Events” so they can obtain more information regarding the event and location. Users
would be able to “check-in” at events on Facebook through the app. This is meaningful because
the users’ friends can then see the event and further Molson’s exposure.
Molson will have links to all of their social media accounts on the app and a section for
current promotions and campaigns. The app could enable instant access to promotions, like the
suggested “digital ballots” portion of the “Make Your Mark” contest in alternative one or
“mobile only coupons.”
Again, the main benefit is enhanced visibility. The smartphone application can alert the
users who have downloaded the application to their phone of these events and promotions
through “push notifications.” A push notification is an alert that pops up on a user’s phone, with
a delivery similar to a text message. This notification updates consumers with current Molson
promotional information, without the legal restrictions of text message marketing and charges.

Implementation Plan
The main focus in this case revolves around creating an impactful social presence for
Molson Canada while preserving their mission statement of being socially responsible. Our goal
in implementing an improved social media strategy is to entice a larger percentage of Molson’s
target market to engage with our social media accounts by creating content these users will find
interesting and valuable. To do this, we will improve Molson’s current social media presence and
integrate social media into the aforementioned campaigns.
Our first initiative will be improving social media presence. As previously stated, Molson
already has a noticeable presence in social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, but
they are underutilizing other forums such as Pinterest and Instagram. It is suggested that Molson
create profiles on these free accounts. Incorporating these two social media outlets undoubtedly
can increase Molson’s brand awareness by reaching additional consumers who do not already
know about the brand. The potential reach, with the inclusion of Pinterest and Instagram, would
be a 15% and 13% respective increase of internet users (Duggan and Brenner 2012).
Social media sites will discuss a combination of updated brand information concerning
the company, potential contests, and the beer itself. We’ll also include entertaining articles,
anecdotes, and factoids to keep users interested and regularly visiting Molson’s pages. Instagram
and Pinterest also introduces new forums for people to discuss Molson products, contests, and
events. Molson should create links between each social network site in order to synchronize all
of their social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The entire digital entity
would be stronger because one account could link to another site that a customer may not have
found otherwise. Opening more windows of communication can create a larger following of
consumers, which will be easier for Molson to market.
Once we’ve expanded Molson’s library of social media platforms, we can focus on
integrating these platforms into marketing campaigns. We’d like to initiate a new “Make Your
Mark” contest to win a trip utilizing the digital ballot concept. We’ll also begin promoting the “I
AM. CANADIAN” digital branding, including pictures, hashtags, and support for Canadian
events. The incorporation of these alternatives might be pricy, with the inclusion of a
complimentary trip (i.e - airline tickets, room and board, free Molson beverages), but we believe
this will have a positive effect on the company and the benefits will outweigh the costs. Our prior
solution of expanding other social media accounts will allow Molson to more easily show
consumers Molson offers more than just beer there is a community behind the brand are the
benefits of drinking Molson, such as a free trip.
For this to be a feasible solution, Molson Canada needs to hire or place a current member
of their marketing department into a specialized position dealing with the maintenance of the
respective social media accounts. This would essentially be the biggest financial cost of the plan,
since social media accounts are free. Molson could even look into hiring a qualified digital media
intern to update the accounts to further minimize the cost of the plan, salary being at minimum
wage for this employee.
The goal is to encourage constant utilization of these social media tools in order to
connect with consumers and entice them to engage or interact with the brand more frequently.
This is important because the more visibility a company has the more people will learn about the
product. With that said, brand awareness could lead to future profit.

All the above alternatives incorporate social media as the main component. The
reinvention of Molson Canada’s social media presence can become the foundation for other
solutions. Once Molson improves their social media presence, they are more likely to incorporate
other components into their plan such as the “Make Your Mark” campaign from the first
alternative. The importance of a strong social media presence is the main determinant in
evaluating whether the alternatives are viable in the future. Since 67% of internet users use
Facebook, and additional social media outlets, Molson can use this proposal to rectify the
problem by creating a meaningful presence in the vast world of social media.

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