2. Executive Summary
Shiner is a cra beer brewed in Texas and is highly popular in its home state but has also
grown in popularity nationwide. However, a problem that remains is how to reach audiences in
the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut with an engaging and effective
campaign that connects the brand to the customer beyond Texas.
64Sharp will tackle this problem and rip it apart like a hungry lion tackles and rips apart a
gazelle. We have formulated an intoxicating strategy with tactics that all fit with the theme of our
campaign while still maintaining the Shiner brand image.
Aer conducting both primary and secondary research, picking a target audience, and
feeling out the competitors, we decided to have our target DISCOVER THE BOCK. Our sources
told us that no one really knows what a bock is, so we decided to capitalize on this in such a way
that aer someone has been exposed to our campaign, they will not only know what a bock is, but
they will also realize that Shiner is THE Bock and that these two terms are one and the same.
With that in mind, we invite you to read on and learn more about our campaign and all the
research and insights that went into developing it. As they say in Germany, Prost!
Primary Research
In order to gain some insight about our target we decided to go straight to the horse's
mouth. We conducted in-depth interviews with six people within the target market. From these
interviews we first learned that those within the target are always open to trying new beers. ey
decide which new beers to try based on friends' recommendations, advertising, logo, packaging,
price, and the look of the tap. Several respondents mentioned that tastings and samples would
help sell them on a particular beer as well.
Another way that they learn about new and usually better beer is through, as one
respondent said, "Rugged older men and bartenders." Another respondent learned about beer
from his friend's dad, and a third respondent said that he likes the idea of a knowledgeable older
person (almost like a mentor) to discuss beer with and share previous beer experiences.
We also learned that those that like darker beers choose it because of its rich taste.
Furthermore, one respondent mentioned that, "ere is a strong draw in the Northeast to micro
brews/home brews. In the winter there is an obvious draw to darker beers." is works in Shiner
Bock's favor since it is a darker beer.
We also talked to a couple of people in the target age range, but from Texas, and found out
that for many (but not all) Shiner was a stepping stone to better beer. ey viewed Shiner as
“better than piss beers” like Miller or Bud, but not as good as “real cra beers” like Live Oak or
Brooklyn. Although this insight may seem negative, our recommended tactics will focus on
keeping these drinkers with Shiner, rather than letting them move on to other beers.
Secondary Research
Cra Beer
In addition to our primary research, we wanted to gain a general understanding of the
cra beer market. First, we needed to find out what makes a beer a cra beer. According to e
Brewer’s Association, a cra brewer is one who meets three criteria: small (produces less than 6
million barrels annually), independent, and traditional. Cra beers are known for innovation by
using traditional methods to develop new, unique flavors.
Cra beers have enjoyed success recently, even as sales of traditional beer have been flat.
Sales of cra beer increased 12% from January to June, 2010 (Datamonitor, 2011). ese beers

3. provide customers with “affordable luxury,” especially with the numerous seasonal options
available.
Over half of beer drinkers say they would try cra beers if they knew more about them, so
educating customers about cra beers could prove to be an effective strategy. Women are more
likely than men to say that they would try microbrews if they knew more about them. Mintel
offers off-premise samples and knowledgeable salespeople as examples to educate customers on
cra beers.
Cra beer customers tend to skew male, much like beer customers overall. e Northeast
and Midwest are the areas of the country with the highest consumption of beer, and these areas
also consume the most cra beer. Beer consumption rates increase as income levels increase.
ose who consume microbrews tend to drink with less frequency than other beer customers,
perhaps due to the higher prices for this segment.
Bocks
Next, we wanted to look specifically into the bock style of beer. Bock was first brewed in
Einbeck, Germany in the 14th century. is style of beer got its name because the local Germans
pronounced the town as “ein Bock.” It is a lager beer made with lots of malt, thus giving it a full-
bodied flavor but with low hoppiness. It is known for its dark amber color. Since bocks typically
have a higher nutritional content, monks in Medieval Germany would drink it during Lent while
they were fasting. As “bock” can be translated to “goat”, a goat has traditionally been the symbol of
bock beers.
Beer Customers
Beer customers aged 21-24 are the least brand-loyal, making them the ideal candidates to
be influenced by advertising. Younger beer customers are typically drinking what they consider to
be affordable. Not being brand-loyal, younger beer customers are most likely to try new brands,
especially ones their peers are consuming, as social status is an important behavioral motivation
for this age group. ey are also the group most likely to take recommendations from the
bartender when ordering drinks. Also, this group is likely to not have a specific brand in mind
when purchasing beer, instead deciding while in the store based on what is the best value for their
money. Younger beer customers are also more likely to try new flavors, especially ones that are
trendy.
Customers aged 45-55 are brand loyal and set in their ways. is group would be very
hard to influence to try a new type or brand of beer. Men tend to choose fuller-flavored beers,
while women want lighter beers with fewer calories. Women, however, are more likely to try new
and exciting flavors.
Shiner Culture
Shiner customers are very loyal to the brand. is loyal following began in Austin, Texas,
in the 1970s, where the fun-loving, music-loving Austinites consumed more Shiner Bock than
any other city in Shiner’s small distribution area. is ran counter to the trend at that time of light
beers increasing in popularity. ose who had tasted the beer while visiting Austin wanted to
have it more oen as a reminder of the fun times they had in Austin. And while Shiner did not
have any of the flashy advertising campaigns typical of that time, customers found that Shiner had
“character and a non-fabricated small-town brewing tradition” (Renfro, 2008) that they couldn’t
find in any of the offerings from the big brands such as Budweiser and Miller - something that
they were willing to pay a little bit extra for.
ose from Texas who move elsewhere in the country continue to seek out Shiner in their
respective states. ere are numerous threads on message boards from people in other states who

4. are trying to find the closest place to get Shiner. Reading these threads, one can gain a sense of the
attachment to Shiner. One person calls it “the official nectar of Texas.” Another says “I always buy
a few cases whenever I am close enough to home to find it in most any store. Two years ago I
loaded the back end of my Tahoe with 1/2 cases when I found it at the Country Market in Artesia,
NM for $10 a 1/2 case.”
Competitive Analysis
Littering the landscape with exceptional availability are a couple of brews that resemble
the cra heritage but are not cra beers as defined by the Brewer’s Association. ey are
consumed as such due to the terms that surround them, like ‘Belgian,’ and the ambiguity of their
origins.
Brands like Blue Moon and Shock Top benefit from the distribution of their parent
companies MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), respectively. Are these beers
cra brews? is debate seems to be up for discussion in beer communities around the U.S. Other
‘cra brews’ of AB Inbev are Land Shark and Rolling Rock with Leinenkugel’s falling under the
MillerCoors umbrella.
ere are technical aspects of what defines a beer as “cra.” But these definitions are useless when
the market views such brands as such, and what does a customer do with information about these
brands when they do find out the ‘cra’ beer they’ve been drinking isn’t cra? ese brands may
be allowing easy entry into the cra beer market, which may actually help real cra brewers.
eir constant availability leads to a constant top of mind in this particular beer category.
erefore, they are a relevant component to Shiner’s competition.
As of 2010, Spoetzel was the 4th largest cra brewing company and the 10th largest
brewing company by sales volume in the country (Brewers Association, 2011). Spoetzel is led by
Boston Beer Co., and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in the cra beer market.
Spoetzel holds a 4.49% share of the market and produces 409,000 barrels annually. It is
available in 41 states, and its flagship beer is the Bock. Boston Beer (Sam Adams) is available in all
50 states including 20 other countries. It holds a 20.2% share, produces 1.8 million barrels
annually, and its flagship brew is a Lager. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company produces around
786,000 barrels per year. It holds a 7.94% share, and a Pale Ale is this brewer’s forerunner.
Breweries with top sales within this tri-state area include:
• Matt Brewing Company: the 6th largest cra brewing company, located in Utica,
NY, over 120 years old
• Blue Point Brewing Company: in Patchogue, NY, the 50th largest cra brewing
company
• Brooklyn Brewery: located in Brooklyn, NY, the 19th largest cra brewery
• Flying Fish Brewing Company: located in Cherry Hill, NJ, largest cra brewery in
New Jersey, produces 12,000 barrels annually
• omas Hooker Brewing Company: located in Bloomfield, CT, largest cra
brewery in Connecticut
Other cra brews surrounding this area are plentiful; eleven of the top 50 breweries are located in
the New England area.
Target Audience
We found that customers who attend college begin experimenting with cra brewed beers
aer graduation. With college graduation and the entrance into the professional world comes the

5. pressure to have more mature tastes and preferences. A socially visible product like beer conveys
these matured, grown-up tastes which our target wants to convey to its peers.
We define our target as 22-28 year olds with college degrees who live in the tri-state area
of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. ese customers are seeking a “better beer” to
represent their new position in life and see cra beers as a way to convey their newfound maturity
and achievement.
rough in-depth interviews we discovered that some cra beer lovers tend to start out by
drinking Shiner and then move on to higher quality beers. e focus of our campaign is to attract
not only the “temporary customers” along the stepping stone process but to maintain those that
enter the cra beer market through Shiner.
Insights
• Cra beer drinkers entered the market thanks to a mentor type figure
• When becoming a cra beer drinker, you progress through several beers and evolve your
taste
• Beer drinkers like to talk about other beers they’ve had, almost trying to one up each
other in their knowledge and the past beers they’ve drank
• People are more likely to try new beers if they learn more about them
Strategy: Discover the Bock
We want Shiner to be THE Bock. We hope to achieve this goal through educating our
target customer about Shiner and bocks in general. Our research showed us that no one really
knows what a bock actually is and that our customer is more likely to try new beers if he learns
about it first. Learning about bocks through Shiner will make a strong connection in a market
that is looking for the information. Borrowing a bit from here and there, we brewed up our own
definition of what a bock is and came up with: A dark, traditionally German beer characterized
by malts, or a residual sweetness, with enough hoppy bitterness to even out but not dramatically
affect the malt flavor of the beer.
rough several tactics, our target customer will Discover the Bock and even begin to
associate Shiner as being synonymous with bock like Kleenex is synonymous with tissue. e
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) shows us that central processing, which uses facts and
information to persuade, leads to stronger and more long-term attitudes than peripheral
processing. ese attitudes are also more likely to stand the test of time and oppose conflicting
messages. We will also take the idea of discovery and engage and pique the interest of our
potential customer by playing our own version of Hide and Seek with them, which will be
discussed in more detail below.
Tactics
Guerrilla Effort: Hide and Seek
In order to further the presence of Shiner and to keep with the theme of discovery,
“hidden” Shiner logos and images in everyday places will be placed to keep the brand top of
mind. Some examples of this are columns in the subway that will be made to look like a Shiner
beer bottle and manhole covers that will be made to look like Shiner bottle caps. Each “hidden
object” will also feature a URL for the Discover the Bock website. ese guerilla-style ads will be
placed in close proximity to Discover the Bock billboards for repetition and recall purposes.
One great thing about this tactic is that it’s engaging without being obtrusive. It will leave
the viewer wondering about what they saw and motivate them to visit the website to find out

6. more. Some examples of this tactic can be found in Appendix I.
Billboards
Billboards will be utilized in the tri-state area. ese billboards will be strategically placed
in close proximity to our “hidden Shiner objects” to further iterate the brand and point viewers to
the Discover the Bock website in case they miss the URL on the objects. e billboards will
feature the website URL in big letters that look like they’re written in barley and will also have the
Shiner Logo. e bag of barley sitting next to the giant URL is three dimensional and overflowing
with barley to attract more attention. You can view an example of the billboard in Appendix II.
Shiner Roadmen
Corona and Miller, among others, employ beer girls to go from bar to bar and promote
their beer, mostly through sex appeal. We plan on having our own version of the beer girls, but
they won’t be girls at all. We will instead employ Shiner Roadmen. ese Roadmen will be a
group of men that are knowledgeable about beer and will use knowledge instead of sex appeal to
promote Shiner Bock.
e reason we decided to call these men Roadmen is because in Shiner’s heyday the guys
who promoted it were called Roadmen. To quote Shine On: 100 Years of Shiner Beer, “Road men
loaded up their cars with matches, ashtrays, coasters, lighted signs, tap handles and whatever
other kind of gee-gaw they could find and each day hit all the bars in their territory. As part of
their duties, they were expected to sit down for a while and have a beer or two with the bar
proprietor, maybe offer up a round for the customers, and then it was on to the next place down
the road.”
Our Roadmen will act as mentor-type figures to young beer drinkers. According to our
research, most beer drinkers made the switch from macro beers to micro and cra beers through
the guidance of a mentor-like figure who fostered their interest in this subject through back and
forth, engaging conversation. ese men will be wearing uniforms similar to those of Shiner
brewery workers. ey will travel to selected bars in the tri-state area and encourage drinkers to
try Shiner Bock.
Since many beer drinkers within our target enjoying talking about the beers and flavors
they like, this allows the opportunity for the Shiner Roadmen to discuss beers with bar patrons
and help guide them toward Shiner. It is a low effort decision to choose a beer to drink, especially
when only committing to one beer at the bar, so the Roadmen’s presence could greatly influence a
lot of first time purchases.
Texting
Because of the target market’s responsiveness to modern technologies, we felt it necessary
to include a tactic that could reach our on-the-go customer in a modern way. e obvious
selection for such a technique would be an app for a phone, however many are hesitant to
download apps they won’t use much because it will take up space on their phone. In order to
reach smart phone and non-smart phone users alike, a texting option would be set up for
interaction with the Shiner Roadmen. A customer could text a special number to ask the
Roadmen any Shiner or Bock related questions such as which bars in their area have Shiner or
what are the characteristics of a bock.
Beer Festivals
Another way we plan on introducing Shiner Bock to the tri-state area is by entering it into
beer festivals in the area. A list of some of the potential festivals is located in Appendix III. is is
a good opportunity to further educate the customer about Bocks and Shiner in particular. It will

7. also help associate Shiner as a cra brew since it will be among other cra and micro brews.
Providing Shiner Bock in a beer festival environment is a great way to attract attention and garner
interest from our target beer drinkers.
Another attention-getter during the festival will be a live ram that we call Kosmos. He will
be near the Shiner stand or booth at all the outdoor festivals that Shiner participates in. e
Shiner Roadmen will also be present at the festivals to once again act as mentor-type figures and
start conversations with visitors about beers and beer experiences.
Coasters
A simple way to educate beer drinkers in bars and raise awareness of the Shiner brand is
to provide coasters to bars. Each coaster will feature a different fact about bock beers. e coasters
will also include the Shiner color scheme and logo in order to further the idea that Shiner is
synonymous with bock beer.
ere are several reasons why coasters fit well with our campaign. First of all, little-
known, fun, quirky beers facts are a good way to interest and educate our target customer.
Furthermore, these coasters can be taken home as memorabilia and serve as a constant reminder
of Shiner, keeping the brand top of mind. Finally, coasters are easy on the budget. A mock-up of
the coasters and some Bock Facts can be found in Appendix IV.
Glassware
Bars are stocked with pint glasses featuring a variety of beer brands. It’s a good way to get
a brewery’s name out there. Furthermore, many bar patrons, especially those like our target bar
patron, enjoy collecting and keeping these glasses. Many bars even have specials where when you
buy the beer you get to keep the glass.
We’d like to get Shiner in on the pint glass action by stocking bars in the area with Shiner
Bock pint glasses. However, we will differentiate our glasses by not only having the Shiner brand
logo printed on the side, but also by adding a Discover the Bock logo printed at the bottom of the
glass. When a drinker is finished with his beer, he will notice this signage at the bottom of his
glass. It will simply say, “Discover the Bock” and have the website address printed on it as well. An
example of the glass can be found in Appendix V.
Social Media
We will have a Twitter handle for the Shiner Roadmen. e Roadmen can tweet about
things like which bars they will be visiting on a particular evening, fun facts about bocks and
Shiner, or even some fun facts about themselves to connect even better with their followers. ere
will also be a Discover the Bock Facebook page which will talk about different aspects of the
campaign and also feature facts about bocks and Shiner.
Website
A website for Discover the Bock will be set up. is is the site that the other tactics like the
billboards and coasters will direct people to. It will have information about Shiner, bock beers in
general, and other aspects of the campaign, such as the locations of all the “hidden objects”. It will
bring the campaign together into one place and complete the discovery of the bock. It will also
include links to the Shiner homepage and Shiner’s social media pages.
Finally, there will be a page devoted to letting site visitors know how to help others
discover the bock. Suggestions would include requesting Shiner Bock in their local bars, following
e Shiner Roadmen on Twitter, and Liking the Discover the Bock page on Facebook. In
Appendix VI, you can find some suggestions of what the site could look like.

8. Measurement and Evaluation
For measurement purposes, the website will be invaluable. Hits and unique visitors will be
noted in an effort to decipher the effectiveness of the campaign as a whole. Each tactic that has a
URL to go with it will feature a slightly different URL that will all lead to the same Discover the
Bock website, but will allow us to know which visitors came from which tactic. Also, the site will
have an “I’ve seen this one!” option, allowing site visitors to tell us the particular billboard or
“hidden” Shiner object they’ve spotted. is will tell us which of the tactics were most effective
and will provide insight into whether or not people are seeing them and taking note of them.
e texting tactic will help us measure the effectiveness of the Shiner Roadmen by
determining how many people are asking questions as well as what types of questions they are
asking. Based on the area codes from the incoming texts, we can also know what geographical
area the person sending the text is from. We can also note how many people are following the
Roadmen on Twitter or re-tweeting or replying to any of the Roadmen’s tweets. e Shiner
Roadmen will also be keeping track of the number of people they interact with at bars and beer
festivals. Additionally, for those bars that already offer Shiner, the increase in Shiner sales at these
bars aer the Roadmen have visited them will give us a good idea of the effectiveness of the
Roadmen in influencing Shiner sales.
We can also track the number of fans on the Discover the Bock Facebook page and also
the number of likes this page has. Furthermore, since the Discover the Bock page will solely be
linked to this campaign, it can act as a testament to increasing desires for Shiner in the tri-state
area.
Conclusion
rough the aforementioned tactics, we aim to not only increase awareness of Shiner
Bock in a new market, but also increase the target market’s desire to drink this beer, which in turn
will provide a demand that bar owners will find in their best interest to meet.
Because of our extensive research, significant insights, and relevant strategy and tactics,
we are confident that this campaign will reach audiences in the tri-state area of New York, New
Jersey, and Connecticut in an engaging and effective way that will connect the Shiner brand to the
customer.
References
Bockfest. (n.d.) What is a Bock? Retrieved from http://www.bockfest.otrbrewerydistrict.org/
What_Is_Bock_Beer.htm
Brewers Association (2011). Cra Brewer Defined. Retrieved from http://
www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/cra-brewing-statistics/cra-brewer-defined
Brooks, J. R. (2010). e Top 50 Cra Breweries. Retrieved from http://www.ibabuzz.com/
bottomsup/2010/04/17/the-top-50-cra-breweries/
Cold Hard Football Facts. (2006). Wake up the taste buds, it’s Bock O’Clock. Retrieved from
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/
26_671_Wake_up_the_taste_buds,_it's_Bock_O'Clock.html

9. Datamonitor. (2011). Cra Beers in the US & UK Case Study: How Mainstream Brewers Can
Benefit From the Trend Towards Cra Beers. Retrieved from Business Source Complete, EBSCO
Hubpages. (n.d.) Everything You Wanted To Know About Beer. Retrieved from http://
leslieposton.hubpages.com/hub/beertriv
Mintel. (2010). Beer: e Market - US - December 2010. Retrieved from Mintel Reports database
Mintel. (2009). Domestic Beer - US - November 2009. Retrieved from Mintel Reports database
Mintel. (2011). On-premise Alcohol Consumption Trends - US - April 2011. Retrieved from Mintel
database
MKT. (2010, March 19). Live in NJ, looking for "Shiner" Beer [Msg. 9] Message posted to http://
smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/130024-live-nj-looking-shiner-beer.html
e Oatmeal. (n.d.) Twenty ings Worth Knowing About Beer. Retrieved from http://
theoatmeal.com/comics/beer
Renfro, M. (2008). Shine On: 100 Years of Shiner Beer. Houston, TX: Bright Sky Press
Shake. (2008). Shiner Bock beer in NJ or NYC? [Msg 1]. Message posted to http://
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081007080949AABMKkG
Appendix I
Hidden Object in Subway

10. Hidden Object as Manhole Cover
Appendix II
Billboard
Appendix III
Beer Festivals
Syracuse Beer Week
November 5-12
Many breweries are there offering samples
http://greatbrewers.com/festival/syracuse-beer-week

11. Holiday Valley Beer and Wine Festival
November 11-12
Over 30 cra breweries from the US are participating
http://www.holidayvalley.com/HolidayValley/info/beer-wine-festival.aspx
International Great Beer Expo
Uniondale, NY
November 12
Beer samples, beer seminars
Sponsored by Dra Magazine and Beer Connoisseur Magazine
http://www.greatbeerexpo.com/nassau/
7th Annual Not So Snooty Beer, Wine, and Cheese Tasting
Windsor Locks, CT
November 18
http://ctbeertrail.net/events/7th-annual-not-so-snooty-beer
Brewfest on the Beach
New London, CT
October 14
http://www.newlondonrotary.org/Fests.cfm
Brass City Brew Fest
Waterbury, CT
September 10
http://www.brasscitybrewfest.com/
Cra Beer and Chili Challenge
East Hartford, CT
August 21
http://www.cpbn.org/files/beerandchili/beerchili.html
New Jersey Beer and Food Festival
Sussex County, NJ
July 15-16
http://www.crystalgolfresort.com/DiningWine/NJBeerFoodFestival.aspx
Empire Brewfest
Syracuse, NY
July 15
Top 10 Beer Festival - USA Today
http://www.empirebrewfest.com/
Brewtopia Fest
NYC
Oct 1-2
brewtopiafest.com

12. North Fork Cra Beer Festival
Long Island, NY
August 13
Beer seminars, tastings, meet and greets with brewers
http://www.northforkcrabeerfestival.com/index.html
Appendix IV
Coasters
Bock Facts
-Back in medieval days, German monasteries would brew bock for sustenance during their
Lenten fasts.
-In 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria enacted a law limiting the ingredients of beer to barley,
hops, and water.
-Monks that brewed beer were allowed to drink five quarts of it a day.
-To keep your beer glass from sticking to the bar napkin, sprinkle some salt on the napkin before
setting the glass down.
-Beer is a source of B-complex vitamins and fiber.
-e ancient Babylonians were the first to brew beer and if you brewed a bad batch, your
punishment was to be drowned in it.
-Many people in the Middle Ages drank beer instead of water because the alcohol made it safer to
drink than unclean water.
-Vikings believed that a giant goat bearing udders with an endless supply of beer was waiting for
them in heaven.

13. -Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass.
-When the yeast used to make beer ferments at higher temperatures and stays at the surface, it
produces a bock.
-Some people believe that bocks are dark in color because they are the beer from the bottom of
the barrel.
-e goat or ram is the common symbol for bocks.
-Germans drink bocks in May in celebration of May Day.
Appendix V
Side View of Shiner Glass

14. Inner View of Shiner Glass
Appendix VI
Website Mock-up

15. Website Mock-up
Website Mock-up

16. Website Mock-up