Sam Adams taps hometown roots in new campaign

It’s no secret that Sam Adams is proudly a Boston-based brewer—but a little reminder never hurts.

The brand’s latest campaign, “Our City. Our Beer,” is targeted to the Boston sports crowd, complete with ads set to run during major New England games for the next year, an out-of-home campaign that will run throughout the city, and a limited-edition pack of beers created in partnership with Boston sports icons.

The yearlong push is meant to “bring people back into the brand” and boost its relevance and relatability, according to John McElhenny, Sam Adams’s senior brand manager. While Sam Adams is sold around the country, the effort is particularly focused on the Boston area, where sports fans tend to be a little more passionate than average.

“Sam Adams consumers overindex an insane amount with being avid or committed sports fans, and not just in Boston, so it does feel really authentic for us to lean into sports,” McElhenny said. “People outside of New England, when they see Sam Adams, they think, ‘Boston.’ I think people know that Bostonians are a little crazy [about] sports.”

Home-brewed

The “Our City. Our Beer” campaign centers on a new variety pack, which rolls out today and features four beers inspired by Boston sports heroes from across leagues: Celtics guard Derrick White, Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, retired Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, and former Bruins captain and defenseman Zdeno Chára.

White was something of a given, since he’s been partnering with Sam Adams for the past couple of years and already had a custom beer with the company, which is now part of the pack, McElhenny said. From there, the Sam Adams team wanted to select a mix of active players and retired legends to appeal to multiple generations. Crochet was a fit given his “strong work ethic and humbleness,” which McElhenny said tends to resonate with Boston fans, and Edelman and Chára’s résumés and reputations in the city speak for themselves.

While the athletes had some say in the styles and flavor profiles of their beers, they’re not beer experts—even Edelman, no matter how many cans he chugs on jumbotrons. To compensate, they collaborated with Sam Adams brewers for the final products, which are tied to their individual seasons:

• White’s witbier is on draft during the end of the NBA season from March through May.
• Crochet’s pale ale is a refreshing option for peak MLB season over the summer.
• Edelman’s lager is more of a “warming beer” for fall football season, McElhenny said.
• Chara’s crisp pilsner is meant to pair well with an ice rink when it’s on draft from December through February 2027.

Beer here

To promote the pack, the Sam Adams marketing team is running a 360-campaign that includes linear and streaming TV spots airing during NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL games, OOH ads spanning about 60 miles around Boston, retail displays, new tap handles, and partnerships with local influencers, McElhenny told us.

The TV, social, and retail components are targeted throughout New England, as the pack is available in states across the region, while the OOH element is targeted more narrowly, according to McElhenny. The OOH industry has had its ups and downs over the years, especially through the pandemic, but outdoor campaigns seem to be in vogue at the moment, at least in the sports sphere.

Sam Adams “did a little bit of dabbling” with OOH advertising last fall, with good feedback from consumers and partners, McElhenny said, so his team decided to lean in further, seeing as the campaign is about playing to Boston sports fans.

“This campaign is all about celebrating Boston pride and New England pride,” he said. “Seeing [a billboard] as you’re walking around the city just gives you a little bit more of that sense of pride and excitement about your city and about the region.”

The campaign is aimed at brand relevance as well as driving sales, McElhenny said, adding that Sam Adams brand trackers include questions like whether or not consumers see the brand as being “for someone like me,” and if it’s “a brand I’m hearing about more lately.”

Eastern conference

While Bostonians’ sports fandom is usually a positive, “it can flip very negative quickly” in the case of any missteps, McElhenny said, which is why his team is careful to work with athletes “in an authentic way.” With White, for instance, the relationship started with social content before growing into a full-fledged product partnership.

Sam Adams has struck some sports deals outside of Boston, such as its Big East sponsorship, but naturally, New England holds a special place in the heart of the brand.

“Boston sports is one of those things that is unique,” McElhenny said. “Even though everyone else in the country loves sports, Boston sports is just a little bit more insane.”