Introduction
CRAFT BEER · HOSPITALITY · FOOD & BEVERAGE
From major acquisition announcements and business coverage to lifestyle features and Colorado craft beer storytelling, we helped Wilding Brands build media presence for an emerging brewery collective, positioning the portfolio company, with brands including Stem Ciders, Denver Beer Co., funkwerks, Howdy Beer, Station 26, Great Divide Brewing and Upslope—as the new force reshaping Colorado’s iconic craft beer industry. In a one-year period we secured 294 placements and 218M audience reach.
Services provided
– Corporate Acquisition Strategy and PR
– Brand Positioning & Narrative Strategy
– Business & Trade Media Relations
– Lifestyle & Consumer PR
– Broadcast & Regional Media Outreach
– Share of Voice Analysis & Competitive Tracking
The challenge
Wilding Brands emerged as a new player in Denver’s competitive craft beer market through strategic acquisitions of beloved local breweries. The challenge? Generate positive awareness for both the parent company (Wilding Brands) and portfolio brands (Stem Ciders, Denver Beer Co., Howdy Beer, Station 26, Great Divide Brewing) while maintaining the local, independent identity that made these breweries successful.
Our mission:
Build media presence that positioned Wilding Brands as a thoughtful steward of Colorado craft beer heritage while driving consumer awareness for portfolio brands like Howdy Beer through lifestyle and outdoor media placements.
Approach
We developed a dual-track PR strategy: corporate storytelling for Wilding Brands acquisition news and consumer-facing lifestyle coverage for portfolio brands like Howdy Beer.
For acquisitions, we secured high-impact business and trade coverage including The Denver Post (“31-year-old Great Divide Brewing has sold to a new and local owner”), 9NEWS Denver (Wilding Brands acquires Great Divide Brewing Co.), Brewbound (Wilding Brands Acquires Denver’s Station 26 Brewing), BusinessDen (Emerging local brewery conglomerate acquires Park Hill’s Station 26), and front-page Denver Business Journal print coverage.
Simultaneously, we built consumer awareness through lifestyle and outdoor media placements highlighting Howdy Beer and the portfolio’s Colorado roots, including CBS Colorado (“Colorado craft beer all-stars are reshaping the Denver beer scene”), Maxim (“The Best New Summer Microbrews To Sip All Season Long”), OVR Mag (“Howdy Beer: The Friendly Colorado Lager for Outdoor Adventures”), and Thirst Colorado’s Father’s Day gift guide.
Throughout the campaign, we maintained an always-on drumbeat across monthly coverage—spanning business news, seasonal beer features, regional broadcast segments, and social media amplification across Instagram (344K followers) and TikTok (11.7K followers).
Additionally, we initiated a sponsorship / partnership program, establishing a wide group of opportunities from major music artists to ski resort and tradeshow partnerships, and auto/moto creators and race series, all designed to position key brands in the portfolio.
We also provided share of voice analysis and competitive tracking to help Wilding Brands benchmark performance against other craft beverage groups and specific brands.
Key results:
294 Pieces of coverage | 218M Audience | 5.24M Print readership | 344K Instagram followers reached | 11.7K TikTok followers | 51 Coverage with backlinks | 79 Total backlinks | Share of voice competitive tracking delivered
Highlight coverage
– The Denver Post – “31-year-old Great Divide Brewing has sold to a new and local owner”
– 9NEWS Denver – “Wilding Brands acquires Great Divide Brewing Co.”
– CBS News – “Colorado craft beer all-stars are reshaping the Denver beer scene”
– Brewbound – “Wilding Brands Acquires Denver’s Station 26 Brewing”
– BusinessDen – “Emerging local brewery conglomerate acquires Park Hill’s Station 26”
– Denver Business Journal – Print coverage of acquisition news
– Maxim – “The Best New Summer Microbrews To Sip All Season Long”
– OVR Mag – “Howdy Beer: The Friendly Colorado Lager for Outdoor Adventures”
– Thirst Colorado – Colorado Father’s Day gift guide