Partnering with VICE and ION, cutting edge multi-channel advocates for independent film, music and art in Canada, we engaged our target through their appetite to learn the story behind the story.

With VICE, we produced “Canada’s New Cinema”, a video series providing an insider’s look at the journey that led select Canadian filmmakers to the finished work. The videos tastefully incorporated Grolsch branding and product, reinforcing the association. The program included written editorial, in Print and Digital, and amplified across VICE’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels, as well as via the filmakers’ own social networks.

With ION, we created in-depth profiles of artists featured at “Open House”, a Grolsch-hosted TIFF event, and integrated them into ION’s “Of the Month” Print and Online editorial. Additionally, a custom article, “Navigating the Discovery Series”, showcased the films and filmmakers. All content was leveraged across ION’s YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels.

The exceptional breadth and depth of collaboration between brand, editorial teams and artists, allowed original content to be shared across the multiple platforms of all three parties. In a category with declining sales, the Grolsch “Choose Interesting” campaign was instrumental in helping drive +20% year-over-year brand growth and has received accolades from TIFF, the artists and the marketing community. Leveraging web audiences, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, eNewsletters and Print, these partnerships drove over 4.3m impressions of original, relevant content to successfully establish Grolsch as a leading supporter of independent film in Canada, and the go-to beer choice for our target.