Every fourth bottle of beer consumed in the province of New Brunswick is an Alpine. And Moosehead Breweries would like to keep it that way, thank you very much.

That, simply put, is the rationale behind ‘Cool Caps,’ a loyalty program that the Saint John, N.B.-based brewery launched this summer for its Alpine and Alpine Light brands.

According to Christine Comeau, Moosehead’s vice-president of marketing, Cool Caps is the first true beer-specific loyalty program in Canada, although Molson Breweries has conducted a pilot program in Alberta with Air Miles.

Under the Cool Caps program, consumers and bar staff are encouraged to collect Alpine bottle caps, amassing points that can be redeemed for merchandise ranging from baseball caps and shirts to a beer fridge.

The brewery applied strict quality standards in selecting merchandise for the program, Comeau says. ‘We didn’t want to get into trinkets and trash.’

The program is running in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Moosehead has promoted it through packaging (the cases featured a 1-800 number that consumers could dial to order a brochure), point-of-purchase materials, radio spots (in French and English) and print ads. Program information, including the Cool Caps merchandise catalogue, is also featured on the Alpine Web site (www. alpinebeer.com).

Advertising for the program featured the newly introduced Alpine tagline, ‘You gotta live here to get it,’ which was created by Moosehead’s Toronto-based agency TBWA Chiat/Day.

The tag, Comeau says, reinforces Alpine’s brand identity as something special for Easterners only.

‘Alpine is part of what makes living in the Maritimes so special,’ she explains.

So far, Comeau says, feedback to the Cool Caps program has been ‘tremendous.’

Consumers have until December to cash in their caps, she says. After that, the logical follow-up for the brewery may well be some form of direct marketing initiatives.

Also in this report:

– When beers are not enough: Canada’s big breweries just couldn’t get enough of promos this summer. But what impact do in-pack giveaways like these have on brands? p.23

– Beer promo trend ‘cyclical’: Breweries swing from branding to promos every few years, expert says p.25

– Voltage aims for tight fit with brand: Canada’s newest promo agency bases pitch on ability to integrate marketing disciplines p.27

– Netcentives busy recruiting Canadian retailers: Plans to launch its ClickRewards program in Canada this fall p.30