Content architecture and UX copy: fusing corporate legacies
I was engaged at DraftFCB for the 2008 launch of Molson Coors’ corporate website, handling content inventory, analysis and requirements gathering; content architecture collaboration with internal stakeholders; content generation and curation; and all UX text. Notably this site was primarily investor-facing, so the aim was to make the company exciting for people with portfolios rather than people with empty tankards.
Molson Coors merged two giant North American brands, one of which had already assimilated Bass Brewers in the UK, and trading on their “350 combined years of brewing heritage” was key to bringing together a sprawling portfolio of brands, breweries, markets and operating units. Unfortunately for me the History section, a timeline of company facts that I selected and wrote, was delivered as an interactive Flash movie, and I can’t find a copy; fortunately for me, there’s the Wayback Machine for the MolsonCoors History & Tradition timeline, which used all the text from the movie.
I’ve transcribed the text from the following screenshots because they’re pretty, but hard to read.
Molson Coors: About Us
What Defines Molson Coors?
We’re a modern global brewer, but our approach is rooted in old-world craftsmanship. Like founding brewers John Molson, Adolph Coors and William Bass, we’re creative perfectionists who tinker until we get it right.
Our Brands
Molson Coors Brewing Company’s 350 combined years of brewing heritage offers some of the world’s most popular beers, with a respected portfolio that includes nearly 40 distinct beer brands.
Quality
Molson Coors brands are brewed and packaged to our exacting standards of product integrity, to continually delight and refresh our customers.
Molson Coors: Company
Our Vision
Molson Coors’ vision is to be a top-performing brewer winning through inspired employees and great brands. We’re driving growth by becoming an innovative, brand-led company, delivering and re-investing productivity for growth as we build a winning, value-based culture. Our goal is to rank among the top three global brewers as measured by volume and financial returns within the next five to ten years.
(Like any corporate vision statement, many hands touched this piece, many stakeholders wanted their bit slotted in. It reads remarkably well for the first statement of such a big merger. They met their goal, as well, not by organic growth but through acquisition by Miller at about the same time as this corporate site went live!)
Master Brewers
Our professionally-trained master brewers at the Coors Brewing Company, Molson, and Coors Brewers Limited channel their passion for beer and brewing expertise into refining our established brews and developing exciting new ones.
Our Breweries
The heart of our company lies in our breweries, by turns traditional and cutting-edge.
Divisions
Molson Coors operates three divisions serving the US, Canada, the UK and certain international markets: Coors Brewing Company, Molson, and Coors Brewers Limited.
Let me end with an excerpt from the Molson Coors Fact Sheet page, which is a deep draught of corporate storytelling:
Molson Coors Fact Sheet
Molson Coors Brewing Company embodies more than 350 years of pioneering spirit.
Within its history is the perseverance of an English immigrant who created a new strain of yeast because he couldnt find one that met his exacting standards. Within its history is a 26-year-old German immigrant who came to the US as a penniless stowaway and within five years realized his dream of opening a brewery in the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
And within its history, are the shared values of determination, ingenuity, and commitment to social responsibility before it was fashionable, because good acts make for good business.
The companies that formed Molson Coors Brewing Company in 2005, the Adolph Coors Company and Molson Inc., began as similar dreams in the minds of John Molson in 1786 and Adolph Coors in 1873. These two men were separated by dozens of years and almost 2,000 miles, but they founded businesses that from day one were rooted in a commitment to community and craft.
Great companies are shaped through passion, pride, and heritage. And sometimes, by coming together they can do even greater things.
Global Brands for a Global Market
The merger of Canadian-based Molson Inc. and Golden, Colorado’s Adolph Coors Company on Feb. 9, 2005 was born out of shared values and vision. The two companies joined to leverage their strengths in a fiercely competitive, rapidly consolidating global beer market. The merger made Molson Coors a leading global brewer, with the longest history of brewing and marketing beer in North America.
In today’s global market, scale is critical to success for brewers. Molson Coors’ collective strength in the world’s most profitable beer markets enables the company to operate efficiently and profitably, while supporting its ongoing innovation, marketing, and expansion efforts. Our global footprint includes nearly 14,000 employees, 18 breweries and distribution in more than 30 countries. Molson Coors is a leading brewer in Canada through Molson and in the U.K. and Ireland through Coors Brewers Ltd. The company also has a growth profile in the US through a joint venture with SABMiller, MillerCoors.
The company’s diverse portfolio of more than 40 strategic and partner brands positions it competitively in the brewing industry. Molson Coors’ signature brands include Coors, Coors Light, Molson Canadian, and Carling. Coors Light is the number one light beer in Canada and the fourth-largest beer brand in the United States. Molson Canadian is the number one beer in Canada, and Carling is the UK’s best-selling lager. Blue Moon is the second best-selling craft beer in the US. Other Molson Coors’ brands include Keystone, George Killian’s Irish Red, Worthington, Caffrey’s, and Rickard’s.