Waterloo Brewing has named Zulu Alpha Kilo its marketing agency of record, with a mandate covering brand strategy, creative and production.
The business win is a result of a competitive search that included seven agencies from across the country.
Zulu’s remit will support all of Waterloo’s brands, including its craft portfolio, as well as the Laker, Landshark and Seagram families.
Mike Sutton, president and CEO of Zulu Alpha Kilo, said the agency felt great chemistry with the brand, and believed in its vision to “break the mold and chart new territory” in the category.
“Most of all, their belief in craftsmanship and innovation aligns well with who we are as an agency,” Sutton says.
George Croft, president and CEO of Waterloo Brewing, says the company set out to find a passionate agency partner to energize the brand for continued long-term sustainable growth.
In May, Waterloo – the largest Canadian-owned brewer in Ontario – reported its net revenue increased 51.5% to $22.5 million, up from $14.8 million in the prior year, with Landshark growing by 83%, Seagram by 40%, Waterloo brands by 32% and Laker by 8%.
To keep that growth going, Waterloo Brewing also launched Waterloo Watermelon and Tart Cherry Radlers, LandShark Seltzer and Seagram Island Time Coconut Lime SKUs in the spring. In 2019, it struck a partnership with Danish brewer Carlsberg to become the exclusive Canadian producer of cider brand, Somersby.
Other recent wins for Zulu include a global assignment with Kitchener-based online learning platform D2L (previously known as Desire2Learn), Ratesdotca, the Ottawa Senators and an expanded relationship with Consonant. Last month, production arm Zulubot was enlisted by Snap as the first Canadian company to help it produce AR content on the platform.
