Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is all of us in the craft spirit world right now. Beer in hand, he lifted a glass to make a toast at the Phoenix Brewing Company in Mansfield, Ohio. LaRose’s toast came from a few of different angles. Paying homage to a local craft beer establishment and passing a little self-publicity were second nature to the true spirit behind his appearance—he was toasting democracy.
LaRose’s efforts are part of a statewide campaign to convince more Ohioans to register to vote —some 7.8 million of the state’s 11.6 million residents are registered. While Ohio’s percentage is higher than most states, political activists are hoping to get people in the state’s rural areas—where there is a high number of residents who are eligible but unregistered—involved.
Why not breweries? With a personal and historical relevance in towns across the United States for ages, local pubs are the place where people gather and share stories about changing the world. As LaRose stated: “Beer drinking and democracy go together.” He delivered his soliloquy holding a bottle of beer labeled “Every Vote Counts.”
To help keep inspire Ohioans to vote, LaRose’s office worked with a local manufacturing company, RB Sigma LLC, to provide 463,000 masks, which will help keep election workers and voters safe on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Serving your community and being a voice for our most sacred institution (nobody what aisle you sit on) is what helps separate you from other businesses.
All in all, 48 Ohio breweries are working together to help promote the voter-registration campaign. Craft establishments like Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati (which has been featured on the pages of Craft Branding and Marketing) helping market the “Raise a Glass to Democracy” campaign to craft beer drinkers between the ages of 21 and 44.
The big question is what are you doing (and what can you do) to help push the premise? In a time when everybody, everywhere is pulling together to fight their way through this pandemic, keeping institutions like voting are of upmost importance. Serving your community and being a voice for our most sacred institution (nobody what aisle you sit on) is what helps separate you from other businesses.
As we continue to be a voice for what craft spirit makers are doing in the way of marketing and branding, we’d love to hear from you—whatever it is you are doing to stand out in your community. Working inside, on the grassroots level, is what keeps you in step with the people who support your every move.
So send us note, reach out to us on social media, and let us know how we can tell your story.
And, more than anything, rock the vote. It is your brand’s chance to help make a difference.
Story by Michael J. Pallerino, editor of Craft Brand & Marketing magazine. Over the past 30-plus years, he has won numerous awards, including the “Jesse H. Neal Editorial Achievement Award,” recognized as the Pulitzer Prize for business-to-business magazines. He can be reached at mikep@ccr-mag.com.