We Like This Ad

We like this ad because it is professionally opportunistic. When one of its local competitors shut down, this craft brewery wisely placed a newspaper ad reminding us that they are still very much open for business.

Here in Toronto, there are many local craft breweries creating very good beer. These are often single-location, neighbourhood stores brewing a small selection of product. This ad is for Great Lakes Brewery, a craft brewery that has been in the same location for over 25 years. One of their main competitors is "The Beer Store", which sells just about any beer brand you can think of, and is co-owned by Canada's largest brewing companies. The Beer Store has about 450 locations and a large advertising budget, so it is impossible for a small brewery to compete dollar-for-dollar. Instead, it is much wiser for a craft brewery to focus its advertising on local, targeted messaging.

Great Lakes Brewery's store is less than 2 minutes from a location of The Beer Store. When The Beer Store closed permanently to make room for a condo project, Great Lakes saw an opportunity to remind the neighbourhood that there is still good product to be found not too far away. We like this ad for being opportunistic, but we also like that it's not negative.

As an advertiser, always be on the look-out for ways to connect your messaging to what's going on with your customers. What's on their minds? How are your competitors treating them? Think of how you might connect your brand to what's going on in your customers' lives.

image credit Etobicoke Guardian newspaper April 19, 2018