Canada is relatively new to Branded Entertainment. The majority of executions live online in the form of web video or short films. In the broadcast world, brands typically piggyback on existing assets, marrying their brand with a TV show through sponsorship or product placement. There have been cases of “owned-media entertainment” in which a brand would script and produce a series that broadcasts on TV.

The restrictions that affect Kokanee lie primarily in the advertising of alcohol. The ASC (Advertising Standards Canada) is the governing body in Canada, and lays out six “themes” to which alcohol advertisers must abide:

- Advertising must not encourage the general consumption of alcohol.

- Advertising must not promote the irresponsible or illegal use of alcohol.

- Advertising must not associate alcohol with social or personal achievement.

- Advertising must not be directed to persons under the legal drinking age.

- Advertising must not associate alcohol with the use of motor vehicles or with activities requiring a significant degree of skill or care.

- Contests and promotions cannot be conditional on the purchase or consumption of alcohol.

Kokanee is a Western Canadian beer brand with an ongoing narrative that has been a part of the brand for over 25 years. This narrative revolves around Sasquatch and has often been leveraged to engage consumers in unconventional ways. The logical next step was to engage consumers in a way that no brand has ever engaged them before. The big idea was to create a 90-minute movie for wide release in cinemas across Western Canada. The movie would incorporate the brand's cast of characters and narrative, but it would also stand alone as a comedy.

In May of 2012, the movie was announced. It would be called The Movie Out Here, playing off the brand’s tagline, It’s The Beer Out Here. Through various communication, consumers were encouraged to help “make” the movie by auditioning for various roles, submitting their own props, entering a song to be on the soundtrack, or voting for their favourite bar to be in the movie. They could even get their name in the closing credits.

Over the summer of 2012, the movie was shot. Consumers had access to online behind-the-scenes video where they could follow the production and meet the cast.

In September 2012, after the movie was shot, Kokanee held a contest giving consumers the opportunity to have a sneak peek at the movie at exclusive premieres. They could also scan limited-edition Movie cans to see exclusive movie footage and trailers.

The Movie Out Here was communicated to consumers through a fully integrated campaign that included TV, cinema, OOH, radio, retail (including POP, packaging and glassware), in-bar, online, social media, experiential and PR.

Audience engagement was key, therefore all communication touch points directed consumers to TheMovieOutHere.ca. The online hub prompted consumers to audition for a role in the movie, submit their own props, enter a song to be included on the soundtrack or vote for their favourite bar to be used as a key location. For those who preferred a low-engagement option, they could be a part of the movie by simply adding their name to the end credits.

The campaign has surpassed all targets. Brand health scores were above target by 21%, and market share has surpassed plan by 6%. In addition fan acquisition and fan engagement metrics surpassed all expectations by 152% and 3,163% respectively. And during the week of the release, our IMDb rank was in the top 1% out of over 1.8 million titles on the IMDb site.

Most importantly, our fans loved the movie. In our largest market, Vancouver, The Movie Out Here ranked 4th out of 12 movies on opening weekend, beating out many other high-budget blockbusters. It was also the #1 new release and #1 comedy.