Booch For Books- Brewing Up Library Love
Anchorage Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Based on a needs assessment and community profile, Anchorage Public Library was determined to create an engaging campaign to promote Library Card Sign Up Month and continue reestablishing in-person community events for adults. We also wanted to partner with a local business and library champions including our support organizations. The overall goal was to bring people together in a meaningful way and to encourage them to sign up for and use their library cards.
The campaign “Booch for Books,” included a custom library flavor of kombucha, a book tasting event, and cardholder benefits. We were thrilled to achieve every goal set at the beginning of the promotion. Our successful campaign resulted in $1,000 raised for the library, excited and engaged our target demographic with 65 event attendees, and helped us reach our goal of 1,000 new library cards in the month of September.
Challenge/Opportunity
In 2023, Anchorage Public Library (APL) was considering how to approach Library Card Sign Up Month with library card sign-ups still lagging post pandemic. Our community was also looking for ways to re-connect in person, in particular millennials who were not currently being served with existing library programing.
Some libraries had found success with beer and brewery partnerships; however, we had a concern about linking APL with alcohol consumption. Both CDC reporting about alcohol related death rates in Alaska, and Anchorage Economic Development Center reporting around population and millennial lifestyles, indicated we needed something unique, sober, and local.
Objectives:
- Sign up 1,000 new library cards in the month of September
- Host an event with attendance of 30+ individuals, targeted at 28-43 year-olds
- Raise a minimum of $500 for the Friends of the Library
Key Elements of Innovation
Alaskan owned and operated craft beverage producer, Zip Kombucha designed a custom library flavor of non-alcoholic kombucha with a library branded can, flavor on tap, and sale proceeds going to the library. They also offered a discount to customers who showed their library card, and hosted our book tasting event. Harnessing the power of an Alaskan made product deepened the connection between the point of sale and the library.
For the book tasting, we used 5 flavors of kombucha and selected books to best represent each one. Example, “Blueberry Mary” was paired with Alaskana books from our specialized Alaska Collection, as blueberries are a highly sought after native fruit. We designed tasting cards that asked the customers to “taste” the book by reviewing the cover, cover flap, and sharing first impressions. Participants told us how well the book matched their drink and if they thought they’d check the book out.
Promotion included local content influencers and a custom brand kit.
Achieved Outcomes
We were thrilled to achieve every goal set at the beginning of the promotion. Our successful campaign resulted in $1,000 raised for the library, excited and engaged our target demographic, and helped us reach our larger goal of 1,000 new library cards in the month of September.
The book tasting event surpassed our expectations. Our marketing got the target demographic to attend with 65 participants pairing kombucha and books, while supporting their library. People really resonated with the concept and seemed to enjoy the event. We had 20+ item checkouts, which means people liked the books selected to pair with their drinks and 11 library card sign-ups which is a significant increase over most outreach events we participate in.
This campaign showed us that with creativity, clearly defined goals, and investment in comprehensive marketing to a targeted audience, we can achieve great results. Cheers to building community and #907LibraryLove one can of kombucha at a time.
