AB InBev teams Shock Top brand with IndieGogo to combat California drought

By Frazer Jones

May 17, 2020

undefined mins

Corporate social responsibility can be an important strategy for any brand big or small, and few issues are more prominent in the United States right no...

Corporate social responsibility can be an important strategy for any brand big or small, and few issues are more prominent in the United States right now than water shortages and full-on droughts. Anheuser-Busch InBev boutique witbier brand Shock Top is making the California drought a top priority in its own corporate social responsibility campaign, partnering with crowdfunding site IndieGogo on Shock the Drought, a CSR campaign to support water saving innovations within the state.

According to Jake Kirsch, Shock Top VP, the brand chose the California drought as a CSR issue to pursue in large part because of the beer’s California roots and its strong fan base within the state:

“We love the State of California. In fact, one out of every four Shock Tops are enjoyed in the state, and we want to help by bringing our innovative thinking and unique brand spirit to rally support and make a positive impact on this very serious issue,” said Jake Kirsch, vice president, Shock Top. “Working together, we can Shock the Drought by sharing great ideas, pledging support and funding new inventions, and we’re excited to lead this charge.”

Launched on Thursday, the Shock the Drought campaign pledges to help fund various campaigns currently aiming to save water in different ways, starting with Drop-A-Brick, an invention described as “a modern, eco-friendly innovation that sprang from the classic drought tactic of placing a real brick in a toilet’s tank to save water.” Project: Drop-A-Brick originally sought funding on IndieGogo in 2014, and now Shock Top is donating $100,000 to help the brand scale up its production and supply 10,000 free Drop-A-Brick 2.0 water savers to consumers interested in doing their part to save water.

Moving forward, Shock Top has stated on its Shock the Drought FAQ that it will be working with California-based water conservation efforts like Save Our Water and Save the Drop to identify other breakthrough water-saving innovations on IndieGogo, and will put from $50,000 to $100,000 toward potentially impactful projects throughout the year. With an emphasis on social media engagement and water-saving tips, plus a call to action for Shock Top fans to pledge to employ water-saving techniques in their everyday lives, Shock Top hopes to not just fund worthy projects but also to build important consumer awareness of the water conservation issue.

A smart CSR campaign is one that is engaging and appeals to consumers, addresses an issue that is affecting and of concern for your demographic, and can make a real change that consumers can see. With this new project, Shock Top and AB InBev seem to be hitting the mark.

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