People typically purchase merchandise with a brands logo to associate themselves with the brands image, or they think it’s visually interesting. Youth enjoy wearing beer related swag because it makes them feel older and mature. They want to separate themselves from being a teen and want to take that next step social groups in life. There are those who wear merchandise such as Guinness’s original tee shirts because of the nostalgia associated with the brand and not drinking at all. At the heart of it all, people associate with beer brands because they want to live the lifestyle the brand is projecting.
Merchandise was first used as promotional products during George Washington’s election campaign through commemorative buttons. Labeled merchandise is very effective at helping promote a brand. The largest product category for promotional products is wearable items, which makes up more than 30% of the total market. Brand awareness is the most common use for promotional items at 12.59%. Beer specific merchandise http://microbrewmarketing.com/ comes in all shapes and sizes. Most alcohol merchandise is purchased over the internet or given away as free items. In some cases merchandise turns into collector’s items that can go for a good amount of money. Merchandise collecting can be equivalent to antiques. It’s not uncommon for high-end companies such as pottery makers to created collectibles that retail for hundreds of dollars. At this level, the collecting is very far removed from selling beer. It’s more about the art and the branding involved.
Beer Demographics/Geographic’s
We have decided to brand a micro brewed beer for this project. To understand the demographics and geographical information pertaining to microbrews we must first take a quick look at the history of beer in the United States and other parts of the world. Not only is beer a beverage popular around the world, it has an extensive history. The earliest records of beer date back to about 5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia.( A History of Beer http://www.alabev.com/history.htm)Other early examples of brewing beer include the Ancient Chinese and the Egyptians. The Chinese produced, "Kui" which was a beer like substance. Along with these examples, some believe that even the Egyptian Pharos brewed beer and included beer in their daily diets. Passed down through generations and transcended through many cultures beer is multicultural. Today beer is an especially important drink with deep unbroken brewing traditions in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the UK. Each distinct region has their own tradition and interpretation of how beer is produced. While brewing beer began as a family-oriented activity it quickly became an artisan tradition and today beer is mass-produced for global markets.
With the advent of the Industrial revolution in the United States in 1765, the industrialization of beer became a reality. Prior to prohibition there were thousands of breweries in the United States. When prohibition hit, it drove many breweries out of business. During prohibition bootlegged beer was often watered down to increase profits. This began the trend that is ongoing today in American culture. Many Americans prefer watered down beers, making this type of beer distinctive to our culture. After prohibition a few corporations emerged that had the resources to supply beer to the masses. They were Budweiser and Miller and they produced a lighter more watered down beer appealing to the taste of the American public. At this time, smaller breweries began to spring up. Eventually they were called microbreweries because they produced less than 15,000 barrels annually. (http://www.beer-brewing-advice.com/Microbrewery-And-America.htm) In addition to producing small quantities, microbreweries specialize in quality and diversity of beers. Gradually they came to reflect an alternative attitude towards beer and their approach to brewing included flexibility, adaptability, experimentation and above all, customer service. Microbreweries were able to accomplish something other major corporations could not through mass production. Microbreweries now have become more abundant since the mid 1980's and currently there are more than 1600 microbreweries in the United States. (http://www.wisegeek.com/)
After prohibition beer had a small geographic region because of the high costs to transport it. People who drank beer had to rely on locally produced beer. As technology progressed it became easier to mass-produce and transport it across the country. Geographer Wes Flack has hypothesized "that the growth of such establishments is a prime illustration of a movement termed ‘neo-localism’ in which people are attempting to reconnect with the local, the personal and the unique." In the article, Microbreweries as tools of Local Identity, Steven M. Schnell and Joseph F. Reese define neo-localism as the active, conscious creation and maintenance of attachment to place. They go on to say that microbreweries are still on the rise partly because, "people in small ways are attempting to reclaim a sense of place and a distinct landscape in the face of our globalizing economy." Microbreweries provide a diverse array of ales that can be found nowhere else, creating a truly unique experience. Many microbreweries and brewpubs across the country are limited to regions, with the exception of a handful that bottle and ship their products across the country. Demographically, beer drinking within the United States is male dominated. 80% of all of the consumed volume is attributed to male consumption. A large number of the males are primarily white. The majority of men also favor domestic light beer and domestic draft beer. When it comes to the demographic of women, light beer has the strongest following. Women are also more likely to be attracted to specialty micro brewed beers than they are to big brands, possibly because of their larger variety. According to the article, Market Research and advertising by Kent Wolfe he states "Micro brewed consumers consume an average of $250 worth of beer annually. Younger people were more likely to have tried a microbrew. Thirty-six percent of beer drinkers between the ages of 25 and 34 had tried a microbrew. In contrast, 27% of beer drinkers between the ages 34 through 45 and 20% of those 45 and older had tried microbrews." From this information it is clear that not only are microbrews popular, they reach a demographic of a younger adult. Microbrews also tend to be a little more expensive than mass-produced beer so we will have to target the middle class white American males and females. We also need to focus on the local, person and unique qualities in our beer that people are increasingly becoming attracted to. We need to create a local identity for our brand that attaches with it a sense of place. It needs to look and feel like Colorado.
Association and Value
Value and association can be generated by country of origin. In our case utilizing the Colorado brewing communities or the state itself can play to our advantage. We can derive free brand associations and other potential values strait from this trait alone (local products). Niche products also convey a personalized trait that can connect our demographic and play into a unique position we establish.
Evian water takes the very idea of the product and relates it back to connotations with the word. Water -> Life (Live). Evian also establishes the social and cultural significance of water itself but shapes the narration to fit a brand mission (http://www.evian.com/#/en_GB/19-renew-yourself-naturally). http://www.evian.com/#/en_GB/23-children By breaking down their “demographic” Evian places a value on water for every age group the associations of youth tie into each segment.
Unique Positions
Personalized beer or beer that customers will custom order in unique flavors of their choosing has a relatively untapped market. Larger brewing companies will brew what they like to drink or safe choices. Local beer brands will usually experiment on their own and attempt to create a successful flavor that they can then sell. http://www.rainingrose.com/products/products_flavors.php Raining Rose is a company that specializes in the customization of flavors and scents. Branding a beer from a similar approach would prove to be a unique customer experience on a local and personal level. “Our research and development team has created hundreds of flavors and scents over the years. We can take an existing formula and customize the flavor or scent, or we can start from scratch to create an entirely new formula for you. Ask a sales representative for details on creating your own unique flavor or scent.”
http://www.beerexpert.co.uk/BeerForEveryOccasion.html Exploring the potential occasions with a local beer can be the best beer choice possible can be an interesting position. Beers of particular flavors and thicknesses go better at certain times of days or with certain meals. For example a “picnic” beer would be somewhat fruity especially if the contents of the picnic were light foods that were also fruits. “A crisp chilled white beer, such as Hoegaarden, with its sharp tastes will also compliment picnic foods.” There are a lot of possible resources to investigate that can shape the brand or even just particular beers that we sell to the target demographic.
Personality
Clichés and stereotypes often lead to unsuccessful personality traits. Fosters once used an iconic silhouetted kangaroo as a tie to the birthplace of the beer, Australia. Consumers eventually became sick of the iconography associating it with cheap antics and a cliché that was boring and unneeded. Evian took an approach where they would customize their bottles by inviting a new designer every year to participate in its development. They were limited time bottles but the idea of identifying with talented individuals can promote a unique personality. With a local brand utilizing the talents of local artists for logos and visual designs could reinforce the “down home” feel if the beer’s brand should move in that direction. http://www.averybrewing.com/index2.html personalizes their brand by developing an identity that breaks the mold of general beer flavors and looks that ideal to spread through their brand image.
