INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this audit is to answer several questions within the social media landscape:

1. Who is talking about Anchor Steam?
2. What are they saying?
3. Where are they saying it?

In order to provide some context, this social media audit will also attempt to answer the above three questions for several of Anchor Steam’s competitors.

OVERVIEW

Anchor Steam is essentially the flagship beer of the Anchor Brewing Company. Utilizing traditional brewing techniques and ingredients, Anchor Brewing is considered a craft beer^[1]. According to its website, Anchor Brewing relies on word of mouth in favor of advertising and marketing campaigns^[2]. Another important aspect of Anchor Brewing is its strict rules regarding how its beers can be distributed and strives for a slow expansion of its market area^[3]. These factors result in a unique opportunity to study how a specialty item with limited distribution is being discussed on the internet.

OUTLINE

This report will examine Anchor Steam’s presence in the social media landscape:

1. Online profile – what kind of official presence (official sites and communities) does Anchor Steam’s have on the internet? Also, what kind of impact is this presence having?
2. The blogosphere – What influential^[4] blogs are discussing Anchor Steam and what do they have to say?

Executive Summary

Anchor Steam is a product that, despite the lack of marketing and advertising campaigns, is a popular topic of conversation on the internet. Blogs and other websites that discuss Anchor Steam are not limited to beer themes. Many of these sites are dedicated to food, San Francisco, history, travel and even fashion. While Anchor Steam has had success relying on traditional word of mouth for its marketing purposes, new technologies and online trends might be changing the definition of word of mouth.
This social media audit highlights online conversations relevant to Anchor Steam from June 2009 to November 2009. The data summarizes coverage behavior within the blogosphere regarding Anchor Steam and two of its competitors; Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada. The overall industry is explored, followed by a closer look at conversations on the individual brands themselves.

Request the full report for a closer look at the conversations governing each individual brand, including an examination of web presence, the distribution of commenting parties by community and a look at notable influencers in each space.