Can a Creation company launch a new Brewery with branded video instead of hops?
TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2018 /CNW/ - A collective group of acclaimed brand-builders and video content creators believe that they can. What started with an idea for a funny promotional demonstration of their branded video storytelling capabilities, may soon be served up in a pint at your favourite drinking hole.
Upstream – A Video Creation Company – was launched in 2016 by two of the most influential brand-builders in the country, Bill Moir and Paul Wales. During their prolific partnership from the mid-nineties to the late 2000's, Moir as Tim Hortons Chief Marketing Officer and Wales as their Agency's Executive Creative Director, they built an authentic and meaningful everyday relationship with Canadians through renowned marketing programs and advertising campaigns such as True Stories, Roll Up the Rim and Timbits Sports - helping the brand achieve iconic status in Canada.
"While there were many marketing efforts that contributed to building the Tim Hortons brand, nothing was more impactful than the powerful video storytelling crafted by Paul and his team" says Moir. "You just have to listen to Canadians talk about the emotional impact of Tim Hortons most memorable spots - especially the True Stories campaigns like Proud Fathers and Welcome Home."
With Upstream, Moir and Wales are now harnessing that potent experience and skillset to help other brands build meaningful connections with their audiences – through powerful video storytelling, of course. Joined by third partner and Brand Strategist Chris Hopper, they've built a next-gen creation company that merges strategy, creative and production all under one roof.
To demonstrate their unique offering, Upstream is about to launch a Brewery - built first through compelling brand commercials. Asche Brewery is named after a fictional Bavarian brewmaster - Johan Asche. Upstream created three commercials to highlight the plausible, yet completely bogus styles of Asche beer. Each spot lands on a clever delivery that you won't see coming.
"As a Creation company, we were really inspired by the creativity and ingenuity of the craft beer movement" says Wales. "We appreciated their passion to create distinct stories and brands that stand out in a crowded marketplace. We studied their foundational brand story components and then crafted the believable, yet make-believe history of Asche."
While the spots were initially created to demonstrate Upstream's unique start-to-finish creation continuum – they write, direct and produce all of their video content – they were received with a lot of excitement in a targeted social media campaign. Viewers believed Asche was a real brand and asked where they could get it. This was all the evidence Upstream needed to come full circle and create the product to go with the brand.
Upstream recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to help brew the first batch of Asche and they're already on their way to hitting their goal of $25,000. Once they hit their goal, they are committed to brewing a small batch of Asche and distributing it across the GTA.
"We weren't looking to get into the beer business, but this was just a perfect way for us to demonstrate the power of video storytelling when it comes to building a brand" says Hopper. "Now we've created a passionate and excited audience, and we feel accountable to brew the beer and complete the experience."
Asche aside, Upstream's unique and streamlined model has already won over several clients, including iconic Canadian family restaurant Swiss Chalet. The team was originally tapped to develop a new creative platform in June of 2017 and continue to write, direct and produce all of their broadcast commercials. Upstream has already started development on a new creative platform for Swiss Chalet in 2019.
"We want to connect with our guests and getting back to brand storytelling is the best way to do that," said Carolyn Saunders, Senior Brand Manager at Swiss Chalet. "Upstream came in with a plan to crack it, marrying our business objectives with what matters to our guests. The result is modern, insightful creative that adds meaning for our guests and brings them closer to our brand."
About UPSTREAM
Upstream is a Video Creation Company, specializing in moving audiences and building brands through powerful video storytelling. Led by some of the country's most renowned brand-builders, Upstream's proprietary creation continuum marries smart and compelling creative with purposeful production, providing unrivaled creative and strategic continuity. Their collective brand marketing, strategy, creative and production expertise is integral to Upstream's streamlined process – creating high caliber branded video assets that move audiences to move your business.
Links:
https://www.aschebrewery.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/187944740/making-asche-whole
https://upstreamcreation.com/
SOURCE Upstream
Chris Hopper, Managing Partner, 416.346.2079 or [email protected]
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