New Belgium Brewing “Bike Yourself”

Not everyone can visit the New Belgium brewery. So we brought the brewery to Facebook.

Even before the advent of social networking, New Belgium Brewery developed its fan base through on-brand events like the Tour de Fat, a costume-and-beer-friendly bike tour. With the evolution of Facebook, New Belgium has grown its fan base to over 100,000 fans through a strategy of taking the spirit of its local events and extending it to more loyal beer drinkers on Facebook (through apps like Friend2Friend’s “What’s Your Folly”).

A particularly special event for New Belgium fans is a visit to the Brewery itself in Fort Collins, Colorado. After a tour of the ecologically-designed brewery and a visit to the tasting room, fans get a souvenir photo of themselves on the whimsical New Belgium diorama. These great photos often ended up on Facebook, and New Belgium wanted to highlight these brewery pictures, make it easier for fans to share them, and extend their reach across Facebook. In the process, they thought they’d extend the photo opp to fans who don’t happen to be passing through Fort Collins, giving them a chance to participate too.

So Friend2Friend, working with New Belgium’s agency partner Backbone Media, created “Bike Yourself”—a gallery for both sharing diorama pictures (for those who’ve been to the brewery), or for those who couldn’t make it there, where you can putt your own picture on the New Belgium bike stand, and share it with friends on Facebook. Now fans all across the country can have a souvenir photo straight from the brewery. To give an additional incentive to share, New Belgium is giving away a limited edition 2010 New Belgium Brewing cruiser to all those who post a picture. Unfortunately, Friend2Friend wasn’t able to simulate the tasting room on Facebook, but we encourage you to get the full experience in the comfort of your own home by sipping a Fat Tire first*, then Biking Yourself!

* provided you are of legal drinking age, of course.

CURRENTLY RUNNING ► Bike Yourself!