A new website tool helps beer lovers find their favorite Jackie O's brews wherever they are.
Bobcat alumni will no longer have to wonder where to find their favorite Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery ice-cold brews when living away from Athens, thanks to the business’ new Beer Finder tool located on its new website.
“As we started expanding our distribution in Ohio, the No. 1 question we received was, ‘where can I get this near me?’ ” said Matt Spolar, creative strategist for Jackie O’s, 24 W. Union St. “More times than not, it was from Bobcats. … They wanted to get Jackie O’s from home. We wanted to build a beer finder tool for mobile or desktop to help them find it.”
These questions are what led Spolar to create the Beer Finder tool on the redesigned website. The tool launched in May, just in time for a summer away from Athens for many.
The Finder is linked to Google Maps and uses a person’s location to find the closest 50 locations that sell the brews. These locations include the approximately 1,200+ bars and retailers in the state of Ohio where the beers are either draft or retail.
Locations are marked on the map, either with a grocery cart to signify it can be purchased to take or with a beer barrel to signify it’s sold at a restaurant or bar. Viewers are also able to click on each location to view more information such as Yelp reviews and what specific Jackie O’s products are sold.
“It tracks any products that we’ve sold in Ohio in the last 30 days,” Spolar said. “It was a really fun project. It’s fun to see people using it all over Ohio.”
Spolar is able to track when people are using the Finder and has discovered trends in the system.
“On Friday, it spikes right around 3:30 p.m.,” he said. “It’s kind of funny to see that happen.”
Crew Duff, a Columbus native who attended OU from 2011 to 2013, had found out about Jackie O’s from living in Athens and from the live music scene. Now, he drinks their brews frequently now that they’re widely distributed in Ohio.
“I follow them on Facebook to keep in touch with what they’re up to,” he said in an email. “I would use (the Beer Finder) if I were able to have up-to-date info on what new beers were available near me on a seasonal basis as the beers change.”
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