Though many companies and breweries have launched their own hard seltzer in the past year, Shiner was up for a challenge. They created their own beverage with a Texas-themed Shiner spin, calling it the Straight Shooter, and set out to launch the product within a crowded category. How can you generate the most buzz as the product hit shelves across Texas, encouraging Texans to try the new craft-brewed beverage – all during an especially busy news cycle and the need for extra precautionary measures as a result of the pandemic?

On the heels of the initial buzz around the new product, Snackbox determined what made this hard seltzer so special: Straight Shooter is Texas-born, craft-brewed and made using straightforward ingredients, rather than artificial ingredients that often make up the bulk of “hard seltzer” ingredients lists. The team began promoting the new beverage’s retail availability, facilitating numerous interviews for both TV and radio and securing 150 print, radio and online stories both across Texas markets, where the product is initially on sale, as well as in top national and trade publications. We secured coverage with outlets including The Washington Post, Forbes, MSN, San Antonio Business Journal, Austin360 by Austin American-Statesman, KLBK-TV (CBS) Lubbock, Eater Austin, Studio512 and more, reaching a total audience of 260.3 million.

This approach extended the reach of coverage via Instagram and Facebook influencers that shared Shiner’s authentic, Texas-based brand identity and enthusiasm for lighter, craft-brewed beverages.