Tips on Solid Marketing Strategies vs. Gimmicks

Be it a beer name or a promotional rollout, making sure that your brand is showcased in a positive light can be a key to a successful marketing campaign.

​Rob Day, the Senior Director of Marketing for Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and Springdale Beer Co. said sticking to your brewery’s core values is a good reference point.

​”Every company should establish and write these down,” he said. “That’s the hard part, answering the existential question of ‘Who Are We?’

“Once you’ve done that it is a lot easier to guide where and how to represent your brand. If it’s true to you, it cannot be gimmicky.”

For Short’s Brewing, the first thing that they ask as a team is questions of the product and what makes it unique along with what makes it ownable to the Short’s brand.

“Then we ask questions about the audience,” explained Christa Brenna, the brewery’s Creative & Marketing Manager. “Who are they? What are their likes and dislikes?

“Once we establish some parameters we can tailor a plan to fit.”

​Many breweries have had situations in previous releases where they may have learned from mistakes to avoid doing in the future, be it in ways to advertise, or wording that doesn’t work for sales or even packaging that was a turnoff.

​”I’ve learned so many things from failure, but the one that applies broadly to packaging and advertising is the KISS Principle: Keep It Simple Stupid,” Brenner said. “You all might find the name of a product super clever, but it is really just an inside joke that no one else gets? That’s not doing your beers any favors.

“You might also be so excited to share the details of your new beer that you put everything on the ad and end up saying nothing. I’ve learned to ask why the hell anyone should care about this and then to deliver on exactly that.”

​Day added that the little things are super important.​ He noted to triple check the spelling​ along with ​details like ABV, ​and ​nutrition facts, ​if applicable.

​”​Then have someone else do the exact same thing​,” he said​.

When it comes to advertising​, ​understanding your audience there is key​.

“Focus your message and have a clear call to action​: “Buy, ​Find, ​Learn,​”​ ​and such,” Day said. ​”​In terms of product innovation, we’re not afraid of weird and crazy​ ​— ​not every beer we make is loved by every drinker, and that’s ​OK​.”​

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