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Review the 4 P’s of the marketing mix, and ensure that students understand how they work together in order to successfully market products and services. Ask students to discuss:

How does “marketing” differ from “advertising”? How are they similar?

Beer is perceived to be a very Canadian product. Based on your prior knowledge, what aspects of the marketing mix have created this image? What aspects, if any, have sustained this?

Have students visit the topic Selling Suds: The Beer Industry in Canada on the CBC Digital Archives website. They will view the clips Are beer ads harmful?, Designer beer, Ice beer wars, and I... AM... CANADIAN! and the additional clips 'Signature Series' and The beer price war. As they view, have students complete the download sheet Marketing Beer.

Once they have completed the worksheet, have students work in small groups to create the “ideal” beer marketing strategy. They should imagine that they are launching a new beer product and are responsible for the entire marketing mix. Based on what they learned from the clips, groups should determine the target consumer and specific strategies to address each of the 4 P’s in order to effectively reach their customer.

To debrief the activity, groups present their marketing mix ideas and provide constructive feedback to one another. Revisit the following question: What aspects of the marketing mix have created this image? What aspects, if any, have sustained the image?

Discuss how students’ perceptions about this question changed after viewing the clips and completing the activity.

Students can collect a series of current beer advertisements (either print or online), and compare them to the advertisements highlighted in the clips. They should review their collection and report on how the marketing messages have changed, whether there are any similarities, and whether electronic media have changed how beer is marketed or advertised. Ask students to explain their responses.