McKenzie Krawczyk

Public Relations 340

October 26, 2016
Narragansett Beer Project
Made on honor, sold on merit is the statement of the Narragansett Beer
company since production began in 1880. The original brewery was located in
Cranston, RI and was able to become the largest brewery in New England by 1914.
President Rudolf F. Haffenreffer helped lead the beer company to the peak of their
success by collaborating with the Boston Red Soxs and hiring Dr. Seuss to create
the iconic character, Chief Gansett, for the brand. In 1951 the voice of baseball,
Curt Gowdy, coined the phrase Hi Neighbor have a Gansett and had Irene
Hennessy as one of the Hi Neighbor girls that worked at promotional events for the
company. By 1955 Narragansett Beer had taken over 65% of all beer sold in New
England and in 1959 each employee received a gold-plated bottle after 1 million
barrels were sold. In 1965 Falstaff Brewing purchased Narragansett Beer for $17
million in cash and it took 9 years for the transaction to be completed. During the
transaction period the company was producing 1.7 million barrels of beer a year and
in 1975 was featured in the movie Jaws when Captain Quinn crushes a Narragansett
Beer in an act of intimidation. The brewery in 1983 closed its doors for good as
Falstaff moved production to Indiana and customers began to feel the beer had lost
its straight from the barrel taste. In June 2005, a group of Rhode Island investors,
led by Mark D. Hellendrung, bought Narragansett Beer to bring the company back
to where it had started. Hellendrung was the former president of Nantucket Nectars
and had previous experience in running sales for Vermonts Magic Hat craft brewery.
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Among the investors Hellendrung also brought in Bob Anderson, former master
brewer in charge when the Cranston brewery was still operating, to help recreate
the original formula for the companys lager. In a matter of 5 years the company
had sold its 1 millionth case since the reform and also celebrated its 125 th
anniversary. Narragansett Beer went on to win gold at the 2011 International Beer
Competition and has started its journey back to being one of the most popular
lagers in New England.
As a company Narragansett Beer already hosts several events within the
community including: Neighbor Days in Providence, Rhode Island where Knight
Street is shut down for food trucks and live music, Narragansett Summer Running
Festival that includes road races with free Narragansetts for all participants, and
Lotapalooza in collaboration with the Flatbread Company has a parking lot featuring
food, bands, and plenty of beer. Along with these fun community events the
company can reach out specifically to three other specific publics:

Hispanic population in the Providence, Rhode Island area is on the rise

compared to other minorities in the state.

The Hispanic population in Rhode Island has grown 2% from 2010 to 2015
and is the largest minority in the state of Rhode Island. The headquarters of
Narragansett Beer is positioned in the state capital of the state, Providence, where
the Hispanic population is 21.3% compared to the state average of 14.4%. The
median age of Hispanics in Rhode Island is 26 making them legal enough to drink
and also at the age where they are looking to drink socially as they still have less
responsibilities than those over the age of 30.

Hispanics are an important population to target as eventually they will not be

under the characterization of a minority. Building strong brand recognition among
20-30-year olds will have them staying with the brand into their later lives while
also having it as a staple among their own families, thus creating a younger
audience and following.

Veteran population looks at drinking as a way of socialization and

appreciate recognition for service to country.

As of 2015, in the state of Rhode Island, there were 68,506 veterans with half
of the veterans living in Providence. Veterans enjoy to socialize over beers as it
gives them the opportunity to talk about the past and give them a form of purpose
as veterans usually dont have a job to occupy their time. Narragansett Beer has
already in the past done an event where they teamed up with Polartec to create a
Special Ops coozie to benefit Better Homes for Troops. This was a great opportunity
for the company as they were able to show their support for troops who will
eventually be veterans in our country.
Veterans are an important public to focus on as there will be always be
veterans due to our countrys armed forces. People are more appreciative towards
companies that show support to veterans who dedicated and risked their lives for
this country. It is also important as Narragansett Beer prides itself on being Made
on honor, made on merit and it coincides with the veterans who served with honor
and value.

Females are the primary purchaser in families over males.

Females make up 51% of the Rhode Island population with 409, 569
households. Females are usually the primary purchasers especially when it comes to
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grocery shopping when beer will be bought. Females will buy what they believe
their partner will like and women are drawn to something basic, such as a
Narragansett lager, to keep the purchasing decision to a minimum.
Females as a public is important because they have this purchasing power.
Beer is primarily bought when doing the grocery shopping for a normal week or an
event and this is mostly left to the women of the house. Females must have a
reason to buy the beer such as what it looks like or the basic makeup of the beer
because they dont want to make the wrong decision yet also dont want to waste
too much time deciding.
To relate these recommendations back to other local and national companies
and what their community relations are four companies will be observed: CVS, Blue
Cross, Ben & Jerrys, and Starbucks.
CVS Pharmacy was created in 1963 and has grown from one store in Lowell,
Massachusetts to 9,600 stores in 49 states. CVS found its success in 1978 when
they began to differentiate themselves from the competition by opening health and
beauty aid stores that were enclosed in shopping malls. They also began to offer
their service to a wide range of employers and insurers in 1994 when they launched
PharmaCare. In 1999 CVS was the first fully integrated online pharmacy in the
United States and then in 2001 they introduced the ExtraCare Card that made them
the first pharmacy retail store to offer a loyalty card program. CVS announced in
2016 the Be the First campaign which is helping create the nations first tobacco
free generation. Among all of this CVS also heavily contributes to charities, nonprofit organizations, and disaster relief funds to benefit their surrounding
communities. CVS has been able to put their foot in the door in every aspect of their

customers life so that their name becomes a household name over other
companies alike to them.
The Blue Cross was created in 1929 and includes 36 separate health
insurance organizations and companies that provide health insurance to over 106
million Americans. Nationwide more than 96% of hospitals and 93% of professional
providers have a contract with Blue Cross. Blue Cross offers a variety of insurance
programs to large and small businesses along with individuals. They serve 82% of
the Fortune 100 companies and have half of all U.S federal workers, retirees, and
their families enrolled in their programs. Blue Crosss mission statement is The
Power of Blue where they have the power to make a difference. They make this
difference by improving healthcare quality and affordability, improving accessibility,
and enabling healthier living. Blue Cross is successfully reaching all audiences with
their health care by making their programs easy to understand and obtain no
matter if you work for the government or self-employed.
Ben & Jerrys was created in 1978 in a renovated gas station in Burlington,
Vermont. The founders started with a $12,000 investment after taking a $5 ice
cream making course at Penn State. After a successful year, the first Free Cone Day
was held where customers received free scoops all day. Soon enough Ben & Jerrys
was packaging their ice cream in pint containers to sell in small stores throughout
Vermont and soon started opening ice cream shops throughout the state as their
popularity grew. In 1985 the Ben & Jerrys Foundation is created to fund community
projects that was paid for by 7.5% of the companys annual pre-tax profits. In 1986
the Cowmobile was sent cross-country to distribute free scoops and called it a
marketing drive as they did this to reach customers outside of the New England
area. The company also started including a Support Farm Aid message on their
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pints in 1990 as a way to support the non-profit organization Farm Aid that helps
keep family farmers on their land. In 1992 Ben & Jerrys takes a stand for children
and has 70,000 postcards sent to Congress concerning childrens needs in
collaboration with national non-profit organization Childrens Defense Fund. Using
ice cream to help fight global warming in 2002 Ben & Jerrys creates the flavor One
Sweet Whirled in collaboration with Dave Matthews Band and
SaveOurEnvironment.org. In general, Ben & Jerrys has gone out of their way to look
out for the greater good for all whether it is children or adults. They believe in a
healthy, safe world and use their ice cream to promote their mission.
Starbucks was created in 1971 in Seattle, Washington and has been known to
purchase and roast the highest quality coffee beans. Starbucks was designed to
inspire and nurture the human spirit and create a community through a place of
conversation. They are known as not only a place for well brewed coffee and
assortment of premium teas yet also gathering place for a meeting of a friend or a
work meeting. Starbucks wants to be a part of your daily routine and be known for
more than their drinks and food. In 2008 Starbucks felt the effects of the recession
as customers were buying coffee anymore to save money. Instead of giving up
Starbucks committed that by 2015 they would improve ethical sourcing in coffee
and throughout their supply chain. They also pledged to serve their communities
and engage young people while decreasing their environmental footprint within
their stores. The success has shown by their involvement with Farmer Support
Centers in Latin America, Asia, and Africa along with taking part in Global Month of
Service where young people are asked to take action in their communities.
Starbucks also recognizes problems and creates immediate solutions such as when
they saw their employees struggling to earn college degrees they created the
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Starbucks College Achievement Plan with Arizona State University that offers full
tuition reimbursement to eligible partners. Starbucks is constantly look forward to
how they can build on what they have done for communities, farmers, and green
global standards.
Local breweries in Rhode Island include Newport Storm, Cottrell Brewery, and
Grey Sail Brewery. Newport Storm was created in 1997 after four guy friends
thought up the idea of opening a brewery after college graduation. The brewery is
known for making limited release beers and always have thousands of visitors to
their facility. They mostly interact with the local community by offering beer tastings
and events in the Rhode Island area. Cottrell Brewery was created in 1997 and is
known for their special cask beer and barrel aged brews. They stick to their mission
of only using fresh, natural, quality ingredients in their beers. The company is
known to donate to cultural and social-service organizations such as Mystic YMCA,
Mystic Seaport, and Rotary New London. Grey Sail Brewery was created in 2010 and
began brewing their Flagship Ale in 2011. They are known for several different types
of beer such as their Captains Daughter pale ale and Flying Jenny unfiltered extra
pale ale. One of the ways Grey Sail gives back to the community is through their
Cheers for Charity campaign where once a month they open their doors for nonprofit organizations to host their fundraising and awareness events. These three
breweries give back and offer events for their local communities because their
cliental isnt as national as Narragansetts is yet these breweries have recognized
the importance in showing support and offering events to their communities as they
wouldnt have a business without them.
The recommendations for Narragansett Beer company is drawn from what is
currently happening around them. The Hispanic population is growing and
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Narragansett needs to get in with them so that generations of Hispanics can grow
up with Narragansett Beer. Veterans are also another growing population that
enjoys drinking as a way to socialize with one another and Narragansett can
capitalize on that as they are a 125-year-old lager that not only tastes good but has
history behind it. Also, females should not be overlooked when they are having the
purchasing power for the households and making the decisions on what beer will be
in her house or at her event. These three publics are critical to the success of
Narragansett Beer company.

Work Citied:
About. CVS Health. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
About Blue Cross. Blue Cross Blue Shield. N.p., 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
About Us. Cottrell Brewing Co. Cottrell Brewing, 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Company Information. Starbucks. Starbucks Corporation, 2016. Web. 23 Oct.
2016.
History. Newport Storm Brewery. Coastal Extreme Brewing Co., n.d. Web. 23 Oct.
2016.
"Latest News." Narragansett Beer. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Our History. Ben & Jerrys. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Our Story. Narragansett Beer. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Rhode Island. United States Census Bureau. U.S Department of Commerce. 2015.
Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
The Brewery. Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island. Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode
Island, 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Weisstuch, Liza. "Narragansett Revives under New Ownership." Boston.com. The
New York Times, 2010. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.