1. Samuel Adams & Social Media
Brian McCarthy
Innovations and expansions in both online social media tools and craft beer distribution have allowed
these two industries to experience significant, although separate, booms in the last few years. Channels
such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are more than mere entertainment platforms. They’re more than
forums for posting and sharing ridiculous or irrelevant bits of content. These sites are becoming, or have
become, essential tools for business growth, project development and community networking. According
to a study posted by the Pew Research Center,nearly two-thirds of American adults now use social
networking sites, and this use has affected the way people work, shop, consume and communicate in a
variety of ways and across a variety of communities and cultures (Perrin 1). Modern social media
channels are quite useful for sharing meaningful information, and this is particularly true when it comes
to the development and expansion of niche communities- distinct segments of populations with particular
practices and interests. Niche communities and products have a way of filling social and physical voids
that have been mostly overlooked by mainstream cultures, and they’re able to do this “… by keeping
attuned to changing tastes of a particular slice of the public” (Peterson & Anand 313). Craft beer
consumers and producers share a common culture, and the appeal of craft beer has increased over the past
couple of decades. “In 1980, there were only eight craft breweries in the United States. As of June 2013,
there were 2,483” (Reid, McLaughlin & Moore 114).
Samuel Adams products are distributed by the Boston Beer Company- a regional craft brewery and a
major part of the beer community and industry. Started in 1985, it’s an organization that prides itself on
producing not just a quality product, but supporting and spreading a culture of beer knowledge and
enthusiasm.

2. “The success and rapid growth of Samuel Adams soon became a catalyst to other small brewers, and the microbrew
revolution began to take hold. By 1995, there were hundreds ofsmall, local, and regional breweries sprouting up all
over the country … creating a culture that celebrated beer with a passion and depth of knowledge that can’t help but
be contagious to others” (Samuel Adams).
This type of cultural promotion is evident within the company’s web presence and social media
endeavors, but is it really affective,and how important are these endeavors? My research here attempts to
analyze just how the company uses new media practices to expand their business and community
presence. Of course,online social media tools weren’t available when the company was founded, but it’s
fair to suggest that at least part of their current success stems from the company’s online presence. The
question is, how much? Peterson and Anand refer to culture as something that’s a collective activity and
that organizational structure determines creative functions (317). Samuel Adams was pretty well
established prior to any of the more recent social media breakthroughs. I’m wondering how this company
has grown and changed since the inception of online marketing tools and whether the company’s efforts
in these areas are helping their business in any meaningful ways. Gadi Wolfsfeld, a professor of political
science, writes that, “one of the most important traits of the Internet is that individuals around the world
can create communities that give them a sense of belonging” (21). Craft beer brewers are marketing their
products to young adults- the very people who engage with social media on a regular basis. Samuel
Adams and the Boston Beer Company are clearly trying to create something special- not just trying to sell
their beer. They’re using these channels to engage and connect with the craft beer community as well as
the larger mainstream community. They’re trying to build brand awareness while sharing their knowledge
and passion for beer.
But how do concepts like branding, culture and community work in to the way the company’s media
content is actually developed? One only has to glance at the company’s website to determine that their
web practices are complex and ongoing endeavors. There has to be a hierarchy in place; a management
structure that defines and regulates what’s being posted. Deuze refers to workplace autonomy as “…

3. control over one’s career,and the (real or perceived) ability one has in making more or less independent
decisions” (92). This reality has a strong influence on what people choose to produce, and there doesn’t
seem to be much room for any real autonomy or individualism within this organization, or any large
organization for that matter, but maybe that’s no so important, or even the point. One of the perks of
autonomy is having control of what’s being produced, but this is content that’s clearly designed for
sharing- for expanding the brand and the craft beer industry and not about individual gain.
Now, it’s arguable that Samuel Adams isn’t really a brewer of craft beer- at least not anymore. Their
business is just too big to be considered small. In an online economic report, writer Eno Sarris states that,
“… Sam Adams may have once been craft, but its size and lack of innovation mean it can no longer
qualify” (Sarris). And innovation, or a lack of it, is what it’s all about- in both the world of online social
media (because it’s no longer solely in the hands of the producers) as well as craft beer brewing.
Frick and Eyler-Werve write that, “The easiest way to engage people is to pique their interest …”
(148). I began my research at samueladams.com and examined the company’s home page. It’s certainly
interesting, and it’s laid out in a typical fashion: meaning that there’s a header, a navigation bar, columns
of text with photos and artwork as well as a footer spanning the bottom of the page. The home page is
quick to load, easy to scroll through and it’s highly interactive, and overall, I think it works pretty well.
The designers use a variety of fonts, colors and type sizes that visually direct the eye throughout the page.
There’s care for how this is organized, and it’s very informative. That being said, the page also looks a
little cluttered. There’s a lot happening on this page, and there’s a lot that’s competing for the viewers’
attention. For instance, the home page displays a photograph that accompanies a clickable call-to-action:
which is essentially anything on a web site that gets someone to “do” something, along with a company
video and a small photo banner. This content looks crammed together, and it disrupts the flow of the
page. However,these elements are clickable, engaging and the content loads quickly.

4. But just because something’s posted on a company’s web site doesn’t necessarily make it engaging.
There are multiple ways to create engaging content. Frick and Eyler-Werve suggest creating a value-
driven content strategy, “… that meets both organizational goals and those of your audience” (147). This
can be anything from the sharing of inspirational messages, showing customer appreciation, sharing
photos, crowdsourcing, etc… This type of value-driven content allows creators and designers to interact
with their audiences in fun and interesting ways (149-51). That’s the kind of content I’m interested in
examining- media that provides information while forming and fostering connections with consumers and
enthusiasts. I’ll begin with a few of the links embedded in the site’s header- culture, history,community,
video, blog and newsletter.
I won’t go into too much detail regarding the culture, history and community tabs. The reason is that
these pages essentially convey a similar group of ideas, although they’re important ideas to convey. These
pages are steeped in textual information that effectively hammer home the company’s core principles-
ideas like team-spirit, community, tradition, enjoyment and the supporting of local industries. These
concepts get to the heart of the company’s strategy and its conception of itself, and it’s good that these
words and phrases reappear again and again throughout all of their online content.
The title of the company’s blog is “Boston Blogger”,which a crafty re-wording of the brand’s staple
beer, “Boston Lager”,and features the most recent posts on the left of the screen and a list of topics and
an archive section on the right. The posts are informative, to-the-point, easy to read and feature some
really nice photography and artwork as well. This blog mostly concerns company and employee news,but
there’s other content to appreciate here too. The best posts, at least in my opinion, are the posts devoted to
beer and food. There are a lot of recipes posted on this blog, including one for “Drunken Korean BBQ
Flank Steak Tacos” (Bellomy 4). All of the posts contain a section at the bottom where people can
respond and leave comments along with ways to share these topics via social media- Facebook, Twitter,
Google+, Pinterest and email.

5. Unfortunately, the company’s blog doesn’t seem to be a major part of their content design. The last
time this page was updated was over two months ago and very few people are actually contributing or
commenting on the stories that have been posted. Again, a handful of these posts are really interesting,
engaging and sharable. One thing that may be a contributing factor to the pages’ lack of impact is that
anyone who wishes to interact with this material must first sign-up and sign-in. As for me, the last thing I
need is another user name and password that I have to remember,and I was personally turned-off from
continuing. The sign-in process seems like an unnecessary hurdle, and it’s a bit of a burden.
The video tab reveals three separate pages here with additional links: brewery,commercials and
culture. There’s a totalof fifty-four videos- the majority of those displayed on the brewery link. The
videos look very professional, and they load quickly. That being said, these clips are basically informative
service announcements featuring company employee’s pouring beer and talking about their favorite
brews. These videos do help reiterate the company’s core values- tradition, culture, history, etc…, which
is arguably their main goal, but they’re not particularly interesting, and I wonder what real value they
have, if any.
I do like the company’s newsletter page. It’s a straight-forward call-to-action. It’s an invitation to fans
posted by the company to receive additional content like exclusive access to brewery tastings and
discounts on merchandise. There’s a sign-up process, but a very easy one. There are only seven steps to
complete and the company asks for a minimal amount of information. I signed up for this service in well
under a minute. It’s fast and easy with virtually no hurdles to overcome, and it seems like a great way to
increase online conversion rates.
That’s it for the header section. Now I’d like to turn my focus to a few of the elements found in the
content sections placed in the body of the page.
One piece of media that stands out in this section is a content box with the header- Drinking Now,and
it’s a direct link to untapped.com- a social media site for beer enthusiasts. This information is updated by-

6. the-minute and clicking on any one of a half a dozen links takes you directly the untapped.com site. There
it’s displayed just who is drinking Samuel Adams beer,where they are geographically and how they rate
the product. I think this is some quality content because it comes from an outside, but relevant, source.
The information gleaned from this isn’t all that interesting or entertaining, but it’s highly participatory,
and its value lies in the way that Samuel Adams incorporates other social media channels, channel-
specific content, to promote its products.
In 2008, Samuel Adams began a philanthropic program called Samuel Adams, Brewing the American
Dream- an initiative designed to assist small, local businesses in the food and beverage,hospitality and
craft brewing industries. It’s a program that also offers small loans, coaching and pitching seminars and
job placement initiatives (Samuel Adams). It’s one of the more remarkable aspects of their online
presence,and links to this information can be found at the bottom of almost every web page. This content
features a number of photos and videos, a list of local recipients and a link which enables viewers to pass
on the information to potential beneficiaries. What’s terrific about this content is that it’s responsible, and
all modern industries (especially those operated in democratic and developed countries and in the public
eye) must contribute in some way to the overall health of their respective communities and adhere to
public expectations and ethical standards of practice. This kind of social commitment illustrates the
company’s respect for both small business owners and their community, and from a design point of view,
the content is highly spreadable, inspiring, relevant, sharable and empowering.
The site’s footer spans the entire length of the screen,and like the Samuel Adams, Brewing the
American Dream initiative, it’s accessible from just about every page. It also seems like the company
really wants people to see this content. There are three links: Find a SamNear You, Make a Beer Flight
and Visit Our Brewery. The second selection really caught my attention, because I wondered, what in the
world is a “beer flight”?

7. A ‘beer flight” is an interactive component and another aspect of content design that’s worth
mentioning. This is a game, or project, of sorts that allows consumers to create a kind of beer “line-up” by
selecting individual bottle icons for display. All of the selections are organized into various categories-
ales, porters, stouts, etc…, with brief descriptions concerning each brew which appear when the pointer
hovers over the icon. Participants then have the option of saving their “flights” and sharing their
selections via Facebook. Sure,there’s really not much to this, and it’s probably a meaningless waste of
time, but it is fun, interactive and sharable, and it does reinforce the brand. But as I stated earlier, this
content is very apparent throughout the design, and it doesn’t really need to be everywhere. It’s tacky and
purposeless entertainment that should probably be less noticeable.
Before moving on to the social media channels being utilized by Samuel Adams,it’s necessary to delve
into what is and isn’t working with the company’s web page. There’s consistency throughout these
pages. All of these pages have additional content that’s clickable- photos, videos, interactive maps and
links to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,etc… Kim Golombisky and Rebecca Hagen write that, “while
Web sites should be visually consistent throughout, it is not uncommon for the home page to have a
slightly different design from the other pages” (207). The Samuel Adams design team accomplishes this
well. There’s consistency, and it varies from page to page, but there’s just a little too much to sift through.
I think it’s great that the brand keeps coming back to culture, culture and more culture. It’s evident
everywhere in the design and a major aspect of their promotional techniques. There are severalcall-to-
action icons placed throughout the designs that are easy to find and easy to access and impossible to miss,
and there’s no doubt that the conversions being made add some sort of value. Ford and Green write,
“The chief stumbling block for companies is focusing on messaging that resonates with employees and owners
instead of considering what will resonate with customers. For example, you may be very proud of your company’s
culture, but your culture isn’t very interesting or compelling to customers unless you can showa clear connection
between your culture and yourservice” (27).

8. And there are connections being made. There are elements, endorsements and links on their site that are
both informative and appealing, and it’s great that they provide multiple paths to this information. But
there’s also a lot of content to choose from, and it gets to be a little taxing.
This next part focuses on Samuel Adams’ use of social media channels and what they may, or may not,
be doing for their business and the beer enthusiast community as a whole. The applications I’ll be looking
at are all directly linked to samueladams.com.
Pintley.comis an online organization that keeps tabs on beer related events and tastings nationwide.
Their Samuel Adams page is pretty simple and contains two tabs- summary and beer. The “summary”
provides some general and generic information about the company along with a list of SamAdams top-
rated beers. The “beer” tab is more interactive and a little more interesting. It rates the popularity of every
beer the company produces and lets users of the site vote on their favorites. However,there isn’t too much
happening here. The site itself doesn’t look very attractive, and it makes me wonder what sort of
affiliation the two organizations have with one another. I doubt the company is heavily invested in this
site as part of its overall campaign strategy.
Twitter has been called “… the world’s largest microblogging platform” (Frick & Eyler-Werve 163),
and it’s clear that people are “tweeting” about Samuel Adams. The company has over 72,000 followers.
The site contains plenty of short comments and pictures, and the conversations are pretty current. But I
didn’t uncover anything really interesting, which I think is strange. I found a lot of updates concerning
new products as well as general comments made by customers,but nothing that would really pique
anyone’s interest. The company’s blog has far more interesting information worth sharing. Twitter is a
great tool for revealing small amounts of information. That’s what it does, so I was surprised not to see
any product “teases”- any promotions designed to enhance customer curiosity. I discovered a lot of
content in my research,but expected far more worthwhile content.

9. So I’ve devoted the bulk of this section to Facebook, “… the most widely used social networking site
in the world” (Frick and Eyler-Werve 165). At first I was a bit stymied because my results were not
meeting my expectations. I tried following the link embedded at the bottom of the Samuel Adams home
page from two different computers and got the same message- that content wasn’t available, that it may
have expired or that it may only be visible to certain viewers. I had been navigating the company’s web
page with total ease up until this point, so this error message was a little surprising and disappointing.
Eventually, I was able to access their Facebook page via Google.
The bulk of the brand’s content can be found in their timeline, which dates back to 2009. The page has
well over one million “likes”. This time I wasn’t surprised to see familiar material- pictures, videos,
Twitter posts and common links to other sites and other content. But here I’m more concerned with the
page’s other offerings- links for photos, videos, reviews, about,etc … Again, some of this information I
found to be redundant, and a few of these additional pages reveal no content whatsoever. However,it is
clear that content is being shared and commented on and that some of it is pretty engaging.
Frick and Eyler-Werve write that, “rich content types like photos and videos offer the opportunity to
increase click-throughs … photos consistently perform better on Facebook than plain-text comments or
links …” (165-66). Here,the page’s photo and video sections offer more compelling and interesting
content- something I wasn’t seeing as much of at samueladams.com. This page is divided into different
albums, recent photos and photos posted to Facebook by consumers. This is good stuff. The quality of
these photos isn’t very good, but what is good is that the pictures demonstrate a high amount of brand
loyalty and outside participation. My favorite features a man who’s made-up to look like a zombie with a
bottle of “Boston Lager” on a table in front of him. These photographs are nice examples (although the
content may be less-than-stellar) of fan-based participation- people looking to join the Samuel Adams
community by providing support and supplying their own content. It’s a form of convergence- content
that gives viewers something to do: encouraging them “… to spread the word to other potential audience
members” (Jenkins, Ford & Green 136). The video content that’s posted is decent too- at least the

10. apparent reception of the videos is decent. These are mostly commercials and corporate informational
spots, but there is other, more interesting stuff to view. One video I came across was a basic “how-to”
video that features a company representative explaining how to fashion a beer keg out of a frozen
pumpkin. Many of these videos have received thousands of views, and this content is available only
through the page’s drop-down menu- meaning that it’s essentially buried, and I have to wonder why,
because with so many “likes” and “views”, this content is clearly “doing” something.
I uncovered a quantitative metric on their Facebook site stating that “likes” are currently down almost
thirteen percent, but it’s clear that a lot of the content being posted is being commented on and shared.
Jenkins, Ford and Green write that, “the spreading of media text helps us articulate who we are,bolster
our personal and professional relationships, strengthen our relationships with one another, and build
community and awareness around the subjects we care about” (305). But who’s sharing this stuff? It’s
important to ask just who in fact is Samuel Adams trying to reach with this content? Who’s using these
social media channels, and who’s interested in the craft beer market?
Social media may be the ideal platform for reaching craft beer enthusiasts because both industries have
at least one thing in common- mass appealto young adults. Perrin states that young adults engage in far
more social media practices than older adults, that people with college educations and higher incomes are
more likely to spend a significant time online and that people who live in urban areas use social media
channels more often than those who don’t (1). So who makes up Samuel Adams’ key demographic? The
answer:young, urban white people. That’s who they’re marketing towards. This is evident not just in the
company’s social media endeavors, it’s there in their TV spots, which typically feature hip-looking,
young, Caucasian men and women living easy, care-free lifestyles. In an article concerning the growth of
the craft beer industry, the authors state that there’s no such thing as a typical craft beer drinker, but
research indicates that those who do imbibe tend to be white, between twenty-one and forty-four years
old, and earn at least $50,000 per year. This includes what is termed the millennial generation- individuals

11. born after 1980. These young adults are considered to be a prime market for the beer industry in general,
and the craft market in particular (Reid, McLaughlin & Moore 118).
Jenkins, Ford and Green write that, “… consumers do not simply consume; they recommend what they
like to their friends, who recommend it to their friends, who recommend it on down the line. They do not
simply ‘buy’ cultural goods; they ‘buy into’ a cultural economy which rewards their participation” (294).
This is a company that seems to understand this idea. They’re not just trying to sell beer or push their
product or encourage people to drink. They don’t have to. This is an organization that’s been in business
for the past thirty years. They’re already established, so they’re using modern media innovations in a way
that helps them keep and expand their fan-base while demonstrating their ongoing support towards the
craft beer industry in general. Samuel Adams and The Boston Brewing Company are sharing their
products without necessarily giving them away for free. They’re cultivating an audience and crafting a
culture around what they care about.
SOURCES:
Frick, Tim, and Kate Eyler-Werve. Return on Engagment: Content Strategies and Web Design
Techniques for Digital Marketing. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Focal Press,2010. Print.
Jenkins, Henry, Sam Ford & Joshua Green. Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a
Networked Culture. New York: New York University Press,2013. Print.
Wolfsfeld, G. Making Sense of Media & Politics: Five Principlesin Political Communication. New York,
NY: Routledge, 2011. Print.

12. Golombisky, Kim and Rebecca Hagen. White Space is Not Your Enemy: A Beginner’s Guide to
Communicating Visually Through Graphic, Web & Multimedia Design. Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Focal
Press,2010. Print.
Perrin, Andrew. “Social Media Usage:2005 – 2015.” Pew Research Center.The Pew Charitable Trusts,8
Oct. 2015. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.
Reid, Neil, Ralph B. McLaughlin and Michael S. Moore. “From Yellow Fizz to Big Biz: American Craft
Beer Comes of Age.” American Geographical Society: Focuson Geography. v 57 (2014): Academic
Search Complete.Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
Peterson,Richard. A, and N. Anand. “The Production of Culture Perspective.” The Annual Review of
Sociology. Vol30 (2004): 313-317. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Deuze, Mark. “Media Professions in a Digital Age.” Media Work: Digital Media and Society Series.
Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
Sarris, Eno. “Is Sam Adams Too Big to Be Craft Beer?” FiveThirtyEight: Economics. ESPN,21 Jun.
2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
The Boston Beer Company., comp. Samuel Adams. The Boston Beer Company. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.
Bellony, Todd. “Taco Tuesday Featuring Octoberfest!” Samuel Adams: Boston Blogger. The Samuel
Adams Blog. 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.