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Create a Marketing Strategy for Finger Lakes Brewery

A Collaboration Between

Engagement Synopsis

As a small-batch brewery in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, we’ve seen tremendous increase in competition in the past number of years. Just eight years ago, there was only a single brewery within 20 miles of our location; today we have 19 other breweries in the same area and that number is expected to rise. To date, we’ve relied heavily upon our solid reputation for offering a range of popular well-balanced, full-flavored beers in a hometown atmosphere, and word-of-mouth advertising of tourists and loyal customers. We’ve devoted little resources to marketing our business, and have not fully developed a marketing strategy. We also need to better conceptualize our brand and value proposition so we are better able to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and have a consistent strategy for promoting ourselves and our products to our customers. Finally, given our location and aging clientele, we are interested in expanding our target audience by attracting more young and established customers and reaching beyond the population in the immediate area. We’re asking you to develop and propose a marketing strategy that will set us on the path toward achieving these goals!

Company Information

CompanyCrafty Ales & Lagers
HQPhelps, NY - Finger Lakes/Central NY region
RevenueUnlisted
Employees1-5
StageSmall Business
Hiring PotentialN/A
Websitehttps://www.drinkcraftyales.com/

Company Overview

Crafty Ales & Lagers is an established small batch brewery known for their wide-variety of complex, well-balanced beers and hometown vibe. Operating in Phelps, NY since 2013, Crafty Ales & Lagers has a dedicated following of locals, as well as travelers visiting the Finger Lakes or driving through the Northern Tier. Our spacious beer garden is open much of the year and is a great venue for catching up with friends, playing yard games, and listening to a full live music band. We feature live music year-round performed by local and regional musicians representing a range of musical styles. At Crafty Ales & Lagers, our motto is, "Put Some Magic in Your Mouth", and we take pride in our craft and aim to provide our customers with an experience that keeps them coming back for more!

Course Info & Engagement Details

SchoolSchool of Education & Professional Studies
Engagement Format -
CoursePrinciples of Marketing (Fall 2021)
Level
  • All Undergraduate
Students Enrolled20
Meeting Day & TimeTTBD
Student Time Commitment4-7 Hours Per Week
Company Time Commitment1 Hour
Duration8.57 Weeks

Project Topics

Marketing

Program Timeline

Touchpoints & Assignments Due Date Type
REMINDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY

REMINDER OF CONFIDENTIALITY

During this program, you'll be working on a real project posed by a real industry partner. By registering for the CapSource system and participating in this Program, you are bound by the Rules of Engagement, including strict confidentiality of information shared with you. Please be respectful and professional.
September 18th, 2021 Event na
OFFICIAL PROJECT LAUNCH

OFFICIAL PROJECT LAUNCH

 
September 21st, 2021 Event na
Kickoff Evaluation Due

Kickoff Evaluation Due

Survey link: https://forms.gle/kv1t3zgeE4t9uAW77
September 21st, 2021 Evaluation evaluation
Milestone #1 Due Milestone #1 Due
Suggested Deliverable: Internal report
September 28th, 2021 Submission Required submission-required
Temp Check #1 Due

Temp Check #1 Due

Survey link: https://forms.gle/UpR7qcTkxPrUZozd6
October 7th, 2021 Evaluation evaluation
Milestone #2 Due Milestone #2 Due
Suggested Deliverable: Customer Segmentation Analysis Report
October 12th, 2021 Submission Required submission-required
Temp Check #2 Due

Temp Check #2 Due

Survey link: https://forms.gle/UpR7qcTkxPrUZozd6
October 22nd, 2021 Evaluation evaluation
Milestone #3 Due (Report) Milestone #3 Due (Report)
Suggested Deliverable: SWOT & Marketing Mix Analysis & Preliminary Strategies Report and Presentation
November 9th, 2021 Submission Required submission-required
Milestone #3 Due (Presentation) Milestone #3 Due (Presentation)
Suggested Deliverable: Marketing Mix Analysis & Preliminary Strategies Report and Presentation
November 9th, 2021 Submission Required submission-required
Temp Check #3 Due

Temp Check #3 Due

Survey link: https://forms.gle/UpR7qcTkxPrUZozd6
November 12th, 2021 Evaluation evaluation
Final Deliverable Due Final Deliverable Due
Suggested Deliverable: Marketing Strategy Report and Presentation
November 23rd, 2021 Submission Required submission-required
OFFICIAL PROJECT END

OFFICIAL PROJECT END

 
November 25th, 2021 Event na
Final Peer Evaluation Due

Final Peer Evaluation Due

Survey link: https://forms.gle/ELBN1PfVimrPxSaEA
November 27th, 2021 Evaluation evaluation
Final Self Evaluation Due

Final Self Evaluation Due

Survey link: https://forms.gle/vQ8TF8niqfK6LLkeA
November 27th, 2021 Evaluation evaluation

Key Milestones & Project Process

  • September 28, 2021 - Deep-dive into Crafty Ales & Lagers

    Who is Crafty Ales & Lagers? Gather, organize, and review information about the company to provide a general overview.

    • Company history
    • Industry
    • Location (including significance of region to industry)
    • Products, services, amenities
    • Target customers
    • Business structure
    • Mission, goals and priorities
    • Key competitors
    • Brand and value proposition

    Suggested Deliverable:

    Company One-Pager profiling the company

  • October 12, 2021 - Market Research

    Who is Crafty Ales & Lagers’ ideal customer?

      • How would you describe their background? Roles/statuses?
      • What are their wants/needs, and how does the business meet their needs/wants?
      • Who are their influencers? Where do they get their information?
      • Where does the target market frequent?
      • What social media outlets/channels do they use?
      • What are their purchasing behaviors?
      • What benefits do they perceive about being a customer?
      • Where are they located?

    Suggested Deliverable:

    Customer Personas

  • November 9, 2021 - Marketing SWOT Analysis

    • What is Crafty Ales & Lagers’ current marketing strategy?
      • What messages and content are they communicating?
      • How often?
      • Through what channels?
      • Which strategies have been successful? Which ones have not? How is success measured?
      • What is their marketing budget?
    • Who are Crafty Ales & Lagers’ main competitors? What marketing strategies are used by their competitors?
      • Where are they located?
      • What products, services, amenities do they offer?
      • What can you determine about their business structure (e.g. size, # of locations, etc.)
      • What is their target audience?
      • What messages and content are they communicating? How often?
      • What media/communication channels do they use?
      • What do customers say about Crafty Ales & Lagers’ main competitors?
    • What are Crafty Ales & Lagers’ strengths?
    • What are their weaknesses or limitations?
    • What opportunities do you identify?
    • What threats do you identify, and how could these be transformed into strengths?
    • Ideate/brainstorm: How can/do the results of your analysis inform your recommendations for Crafty Ales & Lagers’ marketing strategy?
    • Based upon your research and feedback from Crafty Ales & Lagers on the SWOT analysis, what are the marketing goals?

    Suggested Deliverable:

    SWOT Analysis Presentation & Report

  • November 23, 2021 - Develop a Marketing Strategy and Roadmap for Crafty Ales & Lagers

    • What is the Crafty Ales & Lagers brand? What is their brand statement?
    • What are the marketing goals? In the short-run and long-run?
    • What are your recommendations for Crafty Ales & Lagers to promote their brand and products?
      • What initiatives and campaigns are involved?
      • Timing?
      • What messages and content do you suggest?
      • What are the estimated costs?
    • How do your recommendations align with the goals?
    • How can they evaluate the success of these initiatives and campaigns? The overall success of the strategy?

    Suggested Deliverable:

    Marketing Strategy Roadmap, Brand Statement, Prototype Content

Project Resources

Company Supervising Team

Company Admin

Tim Bower

[email protected]

School Supervisors

Instructor

Karen Caldwell

[email protected]

Instructor

Savita Hanspal

[email protected]

Instructor

Jennifer Pfotenhauer

[email protected]

Instructor

Shalu Wunnava

[email protected]

Instructor

Anthony K Betrus Yes

[email protected]

Instructor

Toby White

[email protected]

Students

There are currently no students assigned.