Steam Whistle Brand Strategy

After decades of famously making one beer, Steam Whistle Brewing decided to expand its portfolio of offerings and start producing other styles. After a few years they decided to return to their roots (and the brand’s original slogan “Do one thing Really, Really, Well).

The challenge was, how do we announce the decision to get back to basics, without losing brand integrity and trust?

By maintaining transparency on the motivating factors behind the decision, I gave Steam Whistle’s audience a look under the hood at the realities of the entrepreneurial journey and the resulting twists, turns and pivots you’ll make along the way. The blog post and social post were amplified with the brand’s first-ever billboard ad in Downtown Toronto.

The news was picked up by media and went on to become one of our most engaging posts of all time (841x more than our average post engagement), with fans of the brand expressing pride and love for their favourite brand returning to what they’ve always done best.