This week, Heineken-owned pioneering California brewery Lagunitas Brewing Company appointed Canvas Worldwide as its U.S. media agency of record, following a review conducted internally.
Canvas Worldwide, Adweek’s Breakthrough Media Agency of the Year for 2020, already worked with Heineken USA but the Lagunitas brand largely operates independently from Heineken. We caught up with Paige Guzman, who recently joined Lagunitas as CMO from Pax Labs, to discuss the appointment and the brand’s marketing going forward.
This interview has been condensed for clarity and brevity.
Adweek: How is Lagunitas attempting to differentiate its brand and continue to grow at a time with so much competition from other larger breweries and local microbreweries? What is the importance of media planning and buying in this process?
Paige Guzman: Lagunitas has the number one IPA in the world. And we’re proud to have an IPA for everyone, anywhere, at any time. When people think about an IPA, we want them to think about Lagunitas. We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Canvas as we communicate our IPA-focused message to a wide variety of audiences through our media strategy and planning.
How has Lagunitas adapted to the impact of the pandemic? How can Canvas help the brewery to meet the resulting challenges?
I’m incredibly proud how our marketing team. The entire Lagunitas family has been able to improvise, adapt and overcome as we continue to navigate the ongoing crisis. After the pandemic hit, we had to take our marketing playbook and throw it out the window. Given the current circumstances we’re under, we knew we needed to focus on our core portfolio of products, and find creative ways to get beer to our fans including delivery and ecommerce platforms.
What will this relationship look like going into 2021? Can you tell me anything about changes to media strategy?
Our relationship with Canvas is being built around trust, collaboration, a willingness on both sides to try out new things, and being open to seeing what works and what doesn’t. As for specific changes to our media strategy, you’re just going to have to wait and find out, but we’re excited about what’s on tap!
How does Lagunitas view the importance of the nonalcoholic category? How much of a focus will this be for Lagunitas heading into 2021 and will Canvas be involved in any campaigns for nonalcoholic offerings?
We know there’s a huge opportunity in the non-alcoholic space, which is why we’re excited to be launching our first N/A IPA in early-December. We are investing significantly in IPNA beginning in Dry January and throughout 2021, and are looking forward to working closely with Canvas on a wide variety of campaigns next year.
