The epic rivalry between Labatt and Molson has taken many unexpected twists over the years. Who, for example, would ever have predicted that Canada’s brewing behemoths would be waging all-out war in Quebec…over lemonade?

Unlikely or not, that’s precisely what’s happening. In the past year, both have introduced competing malt-based lemonade products into the province’s beverage market, with the sort of high-decibel fanfare that has become their trademark style.

Montreal-based La Brasserie Labatt scored the initial blow, with the May 1998 launch of Boomerang – the first alcoholized lemonade product ever to hit the shelves in Quebec.

The cornerstone of the awareness campaign was a 30-second television spot, created by Palm Publicité Marketing of Montreal.

The commercial was broken into two parts: a five-second teaser that would run at the beginning of a commercial cluster, and a 25-second follow-up that would air later in the same cluster.

The imagery – a boomerang zipping through the air, two women and a man playfully tossing around a lemon – was colorful and a bit surreal. Aside from the brand name itself, the only words in the spot were those that made up the tagline: ‘Lemonade for adults.’

‘We wanted to appeal to both men and women,’ says Paulette Arsenault, executive vice-president and creative director with Palm. ‘We also wanted to be quite descriptive of the product: We didn’t want a slogan that would be too vague.’

A second TV spot – this time set in a bar – began airing in October. This second phase of the TV campaign was supported by a major promotion in November, featuring a group called the ‘Boomerang Gang’ that led pub crawls throughout Montreal.

Hugues Leger, brand manager with La Brasserie Labatt, says the decision to launch Boomerang was based on research that pointed up the rapidly increasing popularity of alcoholized lemonade beverages in other markets.

‘Studies from around the world showed important growth in this category,’ he explains. ‘Consumer research in Quebec indicated that there was a big need here for this product.’

To say that Quebecers embraced Boomerang with enthusiasm would be something of an understatement. According to Leger, brand sales have been 10 times Labatt’s initial projections.

Inspired by the success of Boomerang, the brewery has introduced a second citrus-flavoured malt beverage in Quebec. Bungee, an alcoholized orange juice product, made its debut earlier this month, supported by TV, print, point-of-purchase advertising and sampling in grocery stores.

Anxious to close the lemonade gap, Les Brasseries Molson unveiled its own lemon-malt beverage, Tornade, in December.

Launching a summertime drink in winter may seem like curious timing, says Alex Sakiz, vice-president, account services with Molson’s Quebec agency, Cossette Communication-Marketing. But the brewery couldn’t afford to delay.

‘There was a possibility that Labatt had created a new category with Boomerang,’ he says. ‘We didn’t want to be late entering it, if indeed it does turn out to be a true category.’

The holiday season is also a good time to persuade people to try a new product, adds Denis J. Racette, assistant brand manager, specialty beers with Les Brasseries Molson.

To help build awareness for the brand, Cossette created a television spot that makes clever reference to the notorious Quebec ice storm of 1998.

The ad is set at a press conference presided over by two officials (one of whom closely resembles Hydro-Quebec president and chief executive officer André Caillé, a prominent figure during the ice storm crisis). As the spot opens, the two are offering their assurances that Quebec will not be caught by surprise in the event of another natural disaster. One of the journalists, however, demands to know, ‘What about the tornado?’

Seconds later, a twister invades the room, gathering the entire press conference, Wizard of Oz style, into its swirling vortex. In the end, all that remains is the tagline: ‘Tornade: New Alcoholic Lemonade.’

Linking the brand with the disastrous ice storm was a creative gamble, Sakiz admits – but one well worth taking.

‘It was a good risk, because the impact it generated was very strong. It brought a smile to people – the kind of smile you get when you’ve been through rough times, and now they’re in the past.’

The TV was supported by outdoor (the boards and posters depicted a glass of Tornade distorted to resemble a tornado), P-O-P and a massive sampling initiative in 800 stores across the province.

Molson is currently preparing to launch additional television, which will focus more closely on the personality of the brand.

Racette says Tornade is positioned to appeal to both males and females, and to both beer-drinkers and non beer-drinkers.

‘The personality of the brand is youthful, irreverent, and a bit more masculine [than Boomerang],’ he says. ‘The target market is 18-34, with a focus on 18-24.’

The average Boomerang drinker, by contrast, is in the 25-30 range, Leger reveals.

But what about the actual products themselves? What, if anything, distinguishes them?

That’s obvious, Leger says. ‘Boomerang tastes like an alcohol-based lemonade. There’s no beer aftertaste.’

And Tornade? ‘It’s less sweet, and tastes like real lemonade,’ Racette says. ‘And there’s no aftertaste.’

Also in this report:

– Simply the Best: Creative experts name their picks for crème de la crème in La Belle Province p.B2

– Desjardins debunks myths in image campaign p.B7

– National Bank keeps it simple: Uses logo as visual focal point p.B7