Unibroue’s sponsorship of Quebec City’s 400th anniversary won Best in Show, as well as a Gold award in the special interest category at the fifth annual Sponsorship Marketing Awards were presented Monday in Toronto.
Unibroue’s secured presenter status for ‘Chantons notre histoire’ – a singalong concert of Quebec’s best-loved songs, and leveraged the sponsorship to increase trial and sales, host key clients and stakeholders and increase brand loyalty, visibility and image. A street marketing team, dressed in period costumes, conducted tastings of Unibroue products. The company conducted point-of-sale marketing and promoted the campaign on its trucks and vans. Unibroue also held press conferences in Quebec City and Montreal to coincide with the Mondial de la Biere festival.
The microbrewery also launched Quatre-centieme, a commemorative beer, accompanied by OOH and radio advertising. The campaign was deemed a success by the brewery after total sales for 2008 grew by almost 13%. Its beers were served to more than a million visitors during the festival, and the campaign generated substantial media and PR coverage.
The Gold for media sponsorship went to Becel’s sponsorship of the Heart & Stroke Foundation’s ‘Heart Truth’ campaign. The campaign raised awareness in women about ways to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke. The Gold for sports sponsorship went to Coca-Cola Zero’s ‘Fans First’ game, and Cadillac’s sponsorship of the Toronto International Film Festival won Gold for arts & entertainment sponsorship. Campbell Company’s ‘Help Hunger Disappear’ program garnered gold in the cause sponsorship category, and Kraft’s ‘Hockeyville’ program won gold for sustained success (for sponsorships of three or more consecutive years).
