2. BoydStacken
MARC 350
Dave Bonko
The Re-launch of Hamm’s Beer
“Fromthe land of Blue Sky Waters.” A classical tagline usedtopromote one of the most
traditional beersaround.Originatedin 1865 fromSt. Paul, Minnesota, Hamm’sbeerbecame the second
reckonedlargestinMinnesota—accordingtoanarticle titled“Historyof Hamm’s”from
Hammsclub.com.Whyisthisbeersosignificant?Consideringmy grandpausedto brew forHamm’s,this
producthas an enormousamountof sentimentalmeaningtome and the restof the Stackenfamily.My
grandpa,Cy Stacken,formerlyabrewerwithHamm’sforabout25 years,endured hisstrongpassionfor
creatinga premiere beerprovidinghimwith asincere taste andlegendarystories. Theysaybaseball is
“America’spast-time”,butforour familyit’sbeen Hamm’sBeer.GrandpaCy livedagood life,buthad
passedawaydue to a heart attack whenthe familyhad5 boys.Although,GrandpaCycouldnot enjoy
the passionsof rusticbrewswithall of hisfamily,the traditionstill remainedstrong. Withthatbeing
said,my grandpaalways consumed Hamm’sandhad a great respectforthe brand because he was
alwaysa loyal customer.Notonlydidhe love the taste of the freshbrew,butalso collectedHamm’s
memorabilia. The traditionof Hamm’shasrubbedoff onmy dad andotherfamilymembersaswell.It
has beenatraditionto “Have one for Cy” and honorthe great past-time of atremendousfamilyman.
Althoughmydad and hisfamily dealtwithsuchanunfortunate experience,theyhave alwayscarriedthe
meaningful passionsof life—like Hamm’sbeer.
Because Hamm’s beerhasbeena meaningful partof mydad and grandpa’slife,itwaswithin
the bestinteresttocarry on the traditionof Hamm’sbeer. Basedoff whatI have learnedfrommydad, it
was a classical beerthatwell-marketeditself.The brandprovidedagreatlastingimpressionthroughout
3. itscommercialsbecause there focusedonnature through:a cleanenvironment,“skyblue water”anda
bearas itsmascot. There was instantrecognitionof the brandbecause of itscommercialswere unique
withthe bear andthe aspectof nature. The tagline “Fromthe landof Blue Sky Waters”fitwell with
theircampaignandmatchedhe brand’scolorscheme andlogodesignonthe can. A benefitmentioned
frommy dad,was that it maximizedinqualitybutwasstill affordableenoughtobuythe requested
amount. Hamm’sstayedtrue to theirrootsby havingtheiroriginal beerflavors,andnotover-expanding
theirproduct.Back inthe daythere wasn’tas much competition,soitheldagood portionof the market
share and was well known.
Althoughintoday’ssocietycompetitionhasincreased,throughmynew campaign,Istrongly
believeHamm’scanbe made relevant again. Iwouldcreate advertisingtowardthe babyboomers,ones
whoare 40 plusand towardscollege students.AlmostneverdoI see a Hamm’sadvertisements,butthe
onestheyusedtohave were reallyeffective,accordingtomyfamilyandtheirfriendswho eitherwere
or weren’tHamm’sdrinkers.Theiroldcommercialshadtwodifferentthemeswithnature andthe
cartoon aspectthat containedtheirbearmascot.Fromviewingthesecommercials, Icouldsee people
easilyrecognizingthe brandbecause there aren’tmanyotherbeercommercialsthatpromote nature or
a cartoon aspect.The commercialsare likeable because theymake sense,canbe humorous and
promote the legendarytraditionsthatHamm’sdemonstrates towardnature.Inordertomake Hamm’s
relevantagain,Iwouldkeeptheiroldtaglinebecauseitisunique andrelatestotheircampaign.The logo
wouldremainwith itsclassical fontanddesign,butIwouldchange theirpackagingbecause itistoo
plain.Irememberinclasstalkingaboutthe toothpaste boxesandtheirdifferentcolorcombinations
attractingpeople’sattention,whichiswhatI wantto renew withHamm’s.Ithinkusinga green
environmental patternof arusticlandscape withthe Hamm’sbearin itwouldbe affective becauseit
wouldcreate thatrecognition. A label orpackagingwithpine treesandariverwiththe Hamm’s bear
incorporatedwithinthe environment.The characteror mascot a brand haseasilysymbolizesrecognition
4. for the branddue toits unique attributes. Forexample,majorityof the General Millscereal boxeshave a
mascotsthat are easilyidentifiable.“TouscanSam”withFrootLoops or “Tony the Tiger”withFrosted
Flakes” fromGeneral Mills are examplesof mascotsthatrepresenttheirtraditionalproductwell.If the
Hamm’sbear were tobe incorporatedmore withthe manufacturingof the productlike their advertising
was,it wouldbe memorable becauseothermostotherbeersdon’thave amascotwiththeircampaign.
Likewise,itwouldfitthe traditionalcampaignI’mtryingtopreserve.
I wouldlike the campaignbe well marketedwithsocialmediasince itissucha huge part of our
society.Withthe classical tagline andnew packaging,itwouldbe beneficialtopromote Hamm’s
campaignto the technological audience better.Instores,if people werebetterattractedbythe
packagingstyle,there wouldbe ahighercontentof persuasivepower. Ithinkif Hamm’s were tokeepup
withthe technological advancesbyrevealingmore of whattheirproductisabout,theirproductwould
be more relevant,buttheyhave toattract new usersas well.
Overall,Ihave greatrespectforHamm’s andI hope somedayitcan resurge itself throughits
brandingprocess.Keepingthe traditionalive isasincere goal of mine.Like myfatherandgrandfather,I
drinkHamm’sbecause itis whatI grewup on andfeel like it’smydutytocontinue agreat family
tradition.Bykeepingthe traditional logoandtagline,butaddinganenvironmental aspectandthe bear
mascot to itspackagingthroughthe classical commercials,peoplewouldrecognize Hamm’smore often.
WhenI begantalkingtomy dad aboutre-launchingabrand,the firstbrand he thoughtof was Hamm’s.
If that doesn’tresemblebrandloyaltyandrecognition,Idon’tknow whatdoes.He hassuch a passion
for Hamm’sand I hope thatcan be expressedfromotherssomedaybyre-launchingtheircampaign
effectively.
