Moosehead Chosen Official Domestic Beer Of The Canadian Premier Soccer League
SAINT JOHN – Canadian soccer fans will find Moosehead beer in stadiums across the country when the Canadian Premier League [CPL] kicks off this weekend – the Saint John-based brewery is now the men’s league’s official domestic beer brand.
Adam Reid, the company’s Toronto-based marketing director, said the sponsorship deal will help the company strengthen its brand as an independent, Canadian-owned-and-operated brewery from coast-to-coast.
“These initiatives will allow us to further entrench ourselves in those markets, be able to not just do traditional advertising but make those lasting experiences with Western Canadian consumers, our consumers across the map and really just strengthen our position in the market,” said Reid in a phone interview with Huddle.
The arrangement means Moosehead’s products, including the Moosehead Lager, Moosehead Light and Cracked Canoe, will be available at certain founding club stadiums. It will also see in-market programs at retail, on-premise at key Moosehead accounts and in-stadium on Canadian Premier League match days.
Moosehead will also see its brand in various fan-visible CPL assets, including in-stadium field signage, league match broadcasts, hospitality programs and on-site match activations at several CPL club venues.
The partnership was negotiated by Canadian Soccer Business on behalf of the Premier League, and came to Moosehead through the company’s internal network, Reid said. The process took about four months to finalize.
The deal will cover seven cities to start with – the most Western city being Victoria and the most eastern city is Halifax. Reid says there’s potential to reach other cities in the coming years.
“In the future, this will be bigger support for our brand in the far reaches of the provinces. If we take B.C. as an example, we have a thriving business there, but there’s a lot of opportunities out there. And consumers in B.C. and especially in other provinces with the prevalence of craft beer are very attracted to local breweries and local initiatives,” Reid said.
“I think for us, yes, the partnership will drive brand awareness overall…But where it’s going to benefit is those lasting impressions so that people can see Moosehead really as their Canadian beer.”
The deal positioning Moosehead as “truly Canadian” and local will also help the brand grow internationally, Reid said.
“We think that international markets are looking for Canadian products but also Canadian products that stand by their value,” he said.
David Clanachan, Commissioner, Canadian Premier League, said they were pleased to strike a deal with a Canadian company.
“We are happy to have Moosehead as the Official Domestic Beer of the Canadian Premier League,” said Clanachan in a release. “Moosehead Breweries is the last major brewery in Canada owned by Canadians which is in keeping with our mission statement for Canadians by Canadians and makes this the perfect partnership.”
The CPL, Canada’s professional men’s soccer league, will kick off on April 27.