If the liquid in the can is the same as the next brewery, how do you make your brewery stand out? Creating those marketing differentials matter and John Cimperman understands that.
“It’s not about getting in front of all people. It’s about getting the brand in front of the right people,” Cimperman said, who spent time as a marketing executive for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres before opening 42 North Brewing near Buffalo in 2015. “What I love about craft beer is every brewery has its own kind of brand image.
“Some, it’s strategically happened. And some it just happened on its own. There are some breweries that are really more of a an urban image and an urban vibe with graffiti and focused on different different lifestyles, which is awesome. There’s other brands that tend to be a little bit more mainstream.”
READ MORE: Brewer Mag Video Podcast with 42 North Brewing
For 42 North, the focus is on the outdoor lifestyle of what the 42nd parallel can offer and with more than 50% of its flagship IPA, Borderland, that marketing is tied to live music. In 2018, the IPA’s name became a music festival and the annual festival will take the stage again in September for the seventh time.
“Stay in your lane and don’t try to be all things to all people,” Cimperman said. “We don’t have enough money and if you try to be all things to all people, you’re nothing to everyone, which is a shame.”
42 North is not a large brewery, Cimperman notes, as they produce just around 4,000 barrels annually. So it’s still very much an “all-hands on deck” approach in creating these marketing opportunities. For a brand like Borderland, getting live music at the taproom along with supporting local music venues in Western New York and now into eastern Ohio have been the focus.
“I am fortunate because I have an advertising and branding background,” Cimperman said. “But we do engage creative people to help us build our brand.
“It is an investment, and it does cost money, but if you have consistency and a quality look, especially with a sea of cans. In our case, I know they also share a passion for live music. So that’s the one I’ve got to grab off the shelf. It’s a really crowded marketplace out there and you’ve got to find your niche.”
Cimperman said it’s important that every beer has to tell a story to help build that bond with consumers. For the 42 North brand, catering to local and live music means building an audience in that vein.
“These musicians appreciate the fact that we showcase their music,” he said. “What’s been great for us is they’ve helped open doors in music clubs throughout New York State as well now in Northeast Ohio, so not only are we supporting them, but they’re supporting us as brand ambassadors. So it’s really been a great collaboration.”
While it’s important for folks to go into the brewery’s taproom to try the beer, it’s equally important for the brewery to promote that the beer is also available at these entertainment venues across the region.
“The bar owners, the club owners really appreciate the fact that we’re helping them put butts in their seats as well,” Cimperman said. “It’s a two-way street. Why give us a draft line when there’s 9,800 other options, right? But if we can demonstrate that we support them, and we support what they’re also passionate about, in this case, live music. It really goes hand in hand.”
He said it all comes down to personal relationships and delivering on your promises.
“If a music club puts our beer on draft or even in cans, we’re gonna follow that up, and let our followers know that our beer is available there,” he said. “But also, we can say, ‘Look at these great musicians that are there.’ My team, and our distributor now, understands the strategy. So they’re helping support it as well.”
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