Steam Whistle unveils tallboy cans

June 26, 2009 by Melita Kuburas

Toronto-brewed Steam Whistle beer is standing tall among canned European imports this summer with the launch of a 500-ml aluminum four-pack, which will be promoted on radio, in print as well as in Beer Stores, the LCBO and sponsored events across Ontario. The beer will be available year-round, but the brewer is hoping to attract drinkers with regional and seasonal preferences as cans account for about 20% of beer sales in Ontario.

‘A lot of the imports come in tallboys, which are 473 or 500 ml and [it's also] usually what the European, premium-price imports are,’ says Sybil Taylor, director of marketing at Steam Whistle, which does the creative and buying in-house. Just like the green glass bottle, they wanted the cans to be similar to their foreign competitors from a branding perspective.

A print ad will appear in the summer issue of Cottage Life magazine, radio commercials will air on slightly male-skewing stations like Q107, The Edge, and Rock 85, plus the cans will be served at youth-oriented and music-focused events.

‘This time of year people are camping, boating and thinking about their patios,’ Taylor tells MiC. ‘A can works better in some of those scenarios.’

www.steamwhistle.ca