Marketing idea of the week: A bag of trash for a beer this Earth Day via City Star Brewing

Let’s revisit some of my favorite past Marketing Ideas of the Week_^TM. Canton, Ohio’s Royal Docks Brewing Co. recently placed these lawn chairs, decorated like its Backyard Crusher label and attached with prizes, in locations around Northeast Ohio, then dropping clues via email and social media as to where to find them. There’s CraftHaus Brewery’s scratch ‘n sniff cans, LUKI Brewery’s traveling circus and Market Garden Brewery’s Beer and a Shot vaccination initiative. Here comes a new one: A bag of trash for a craft beer.

Berthoud, Colo.’s City Star Brewing is hosting an Adopt YOUR Town campaign this Earth Day. How? By offering free beer in exchange for a bag of trash of course. Love it. Participants can earn a beer by showing a City Star beer slinger (read server) a photo with their bag of trash. Alternatively, community members can drop off said trash at City Star’s roll-off dumpster rented just for the campaign (photo below). A red City Star tent will be setup with the dumpster, located in the parking lot on the SE corner of 3rd and Mountain Ave. Litter will be traded for free beer coupons at the tent this Friday (April 22) from 12 to 7 p.m. and Saturday (April 23) from 8 to 12 p.m. There will also be root beer on hand to trade for kids and non beer drinkers.

Note: The intention of City Star’s Adopt YOUR Town campaign event is to clean up litter around the area, not from personal property. Also, make sure you sort your trash properly (in general). City Star asks community members to help make the event a success by not dumping any prohibited items: electronics, appliances, hazardous waste, tires, etc. Remember, being a trash collector is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.

As a theme, City Star Brewing notes it strives not only on Earth Day but every day to be earth conscious with its business decisions. The company practices this by recapturing brewing water, sending its spent grain to Long Shadow Farm, offering recycling in its taproom, using biodegradable plastic cups when needed, re-using four-pack holders and sourcing local ingredients. City Star first opened its doors in 2012 and has since become a popular Colorado destination for craft beer lovers. The tasting room includes an outdoor beer garden and barrel house that doubles as an event space. With a bag of trash, you can even get a free beer this weekend. Sounds like a cool place to visit.