Hamilton-based Lakeport Brewing is baring all with its new brand Truly Naked.
The brand, touted as ‘The Beer with Nothing To Hide,’ is supported by a radio and print campaign, launched Sept. 1 in Toronto and Hamilton.
The campaign was created by Ranscombe & Company. The Watt Group designed the packaging.
Bill Sharpe, president and chief executive officer of Lakeport Brewing, which serves Ontario and Quebec markets, says Truly Naked is a serious brand, although he recognizes the shock value of its name.
Sharpe hopes there will be a wave of trials based on the attraction to the name and that beer drinkers will enjoy Truly Naked and continue buying the brand.
He says bars and campuses will likely see a lot of trials, although there is no specific target for the brand.
Rather, he says it is aimed at ‘anyone who enjoys a more smoother, easier-swallowing beer.’
Sharpe says Lakeport, seeing the wave of new beer categories in recent years, wanted to carve out a category for itself – which is beer with a smoother aftertaste.
He says marketing the new beer, as a regional company, required a lot of innovation, as his company does not have an advertising budget comparable to Labatt Brewing Company’s or Molson Breweries’.
‘You need to come up with new things and ideas in order to run a business today,’ Sharpe says. ‘It’s too competitive to just sit back and hope people buy your product.’
Sharpe says advertising for Truly Naked will not carry any sexual overtones.
He says that the ‘naked’ portion of the name really describes the processes involved in making the brand – which includes the purification of water.
He says ‘truly’ is married to ‘naked’ to add flow.
As well, Sharpe says the packaging carries a unique design.
The name is printed vertically on the bottle, so when beer drinkers lift the bottle to their mouths, the brand name can be easily read.
On Sept. 1, Lakeport also announced its first beer in the ‘Dave Nichol’s International Selection’ line available in Ontario.
Dave’s Bavarian Style Doppelgold beer has 5.9% alcohol and is available in 12 packs for $11.85.
Lakeport began brewing the Dave Nichol line of beers last November.
