Craft beer marketing idea of the week: Cleveland’s Platform Beer launches Willy Wonka-esque Golden Sticker contest

Platform Beer Co. was purchased by Anheuser-Busch this past summer, and that’s not even the latest big beer buy from the world’s largest brewer. Platform was attractive for a variety of reasons, including its big footprint around Ohio+. The brewery has been keenly focused on being experimental in both its brewing and marketing strategy. It burst onto the scene in 2014 with sleek cans and a constantly new selection of beers. Beyond two core beers and few seasonals, it never brews the same beer twice. Platform pumps out more than 200 unique beers per year, not to mention it has forays into ciders and hard seltzers.

What drew Anheuser-Busch to Platform was that data-driven, fast-paced approach to beer creation and distribution combined with its brick-and-mortar footprint in Ohio’s three largest metropolitan cities: Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. Plus, Platform knows how to market to that audience, and here’s a good example: For the second year running, Platform Beer is doing its clever Golden Sticker contest, reminiscent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The company recently announced that 20 stickers can be found under the can holders of its Caramelicious milk stout brand.

Customers finding such Golden Stickers need to post a photo on Facebook (instructions above), and those rule-following winners will get an exclusive pass that includes 1 guest: “for an incredible experience at Platform Beer Co’s Production Facility.” According to this article from ABC affiliate News 5 Cleveland:

All 20 winners, and one guest each, will be invited to the production facility on Feb. 8, 2020, for the beer lover’s experience.

Last year, the winners got the chance to collaborate with Platform Beer Co. to create the “Rowers, Keep on Rowing, Imperial Stout” inspired by the very movie the Golden Ticket contest emulates.

The Platform brand overall continues to catch attention in Ohio and beyond. Platform now owns and operates five facilities in Ohio: its flagship Cleveland tasting room, a 60-bbl Cleveland-based brewhouse, a tasting room in Columbus which doubles as a distribution center and warehouse and its Cincinnati tasting room and coffee shop concept LOCOBA. More growth is on the way with Platform’s first dedicated sour beer brewing facility and on-site tasting room — Phunkenship — which just opened in Cleveland this past November, and there is talk of a 10-bbl brewery and tasting room concept in Pittsburgh in the near future.