CASE STUDY: SCHLITZ

Situation: Once the country’s number one beer brand, Schlitz fell out of favor with the American public. Our clients wanted to see if the brand had enough latent equity to successfully relaunch Schlitz. So we took a look.

Challenge: Pabst Brewing acquired the brand and pledged to restore it by returning to its original formula and reintroducing the brand. The first attempt at relaunch sputtered and failed to gain traction. PARAGRAPH was hired to help develop a new approach.

Case Study: We found that Schlitz conjured up images of a more leisurely era when men “punched out” at the end of their shift, enjoyed the evening with their families and neighbors and appreciated the simple things in life.

By positioning Schlitz as “The Official Beer of Leisure,” we successfully tapped into the past equity of the brand while connecting with a large group of older guys looking for a beer that wasn’t all about picking up chicks at clubs on a Friday night.

We recommended low-budget, high-impact marketing ideas to seed the brand on a grassroots level. Let Budweiser and Miller sponsor professional sports and ballparks. Schlitz would sponsor corporate softball leagues and bowling tournaments. Caravans of classic cars were also used to deliver the first cases of Schlitz to new markets and draw attention to bars and stores that distribute the brand.