Marketing a beer brand is a complex process, and your options for handling each element are numerous and significant. Take packaging, for instance: Finding the best approach for your target audience, within your budget, is a high-priority objective for any brewer. The best practices governing the process will differ based on the size of your company, your geographic location and the interests of your customers.
Small breweries: Stretching design dollars
A recent San Diego CityBeat piece took on local breweries’ attempts to attract attention in a nearly saturated craft beer market. Lost Abbey Marketing Director Adam Martinez told the source his company uses bold label design as a calling card. He suggested that while breweries may want to write off the creative elements of labeling, they can’t afford to – there are too many competitors all angling for shoppers’ attention.
Looking for a good use for their design and marketing dollars, the San Diego craft brewers at Lost Abbey, Ballast Point, Pariah Brewing and Fall Brewing are turning to local artists. Having unique pieces of art on can and bottle labels can help companies stand out. The pressure to have a look that echoes the company’s overall strategy and the particular brew’s taste can be great. After all, when consumers are shopping for beer, packaging directly competes for their attention. While some brands have switched to minimal design for savings reasons, others have stayed with complex, baroque art.
Large companies: Staying cool as trends change
Big organizations have different challenges to contend with than their smaller peers. While they don’t have the budgetary limitations that define local craft breweries, international conglomerates still have to think about appealing to shoppers’ tastes. Food Dive recently reported that massive, multi-brand organizations such as AB InBev and MillerCoors are losing market share, and have tried new branding methods to stay relevant.
Reinvention is the order of the day at the large companies – Food Dive noted that executives realize their customers today have different priorities or interests than the previous generations who put their products on top. Introducing new styles and flavors of beer is one way to attract these shoppers, though it will likely take a reinvention of core product lines to stop the slide. Miller Brands Vice President Greg Butler acknowledged the need to get demand for mainstay beers such as Coors Light “stabilized.”
Whether you’re designing a bold and exciting can style or tapping into a unique customer interest, the quality of your beer labeling should be high. Learn more about Optimedia Labs’ label printer offerings at our U.S. site or Canadian page.