In an effort to encourage Gen Z (well, those who are of age) and Millennials to choose more craft brewer beers, the Brewers Association is promoting craft beer brands on social media with a digital video spot that is part of a new campaign. The campaign also aims to raise awareness of the association’s independent craft brewer seal and a special website where beer drinkers can find out if they drink craft beer.
“The overall strategy is to reach out to small, independent craft brewers and with that group (21-35 year olds) to explore and drink a lot of different things,” said Ann Obenchain, director of marketing and communications for the Brewers Association. . . “We want to remind them of independent craft beer and the values of independent brewers. Independent beer is authentic because the places, people and products made by independent brewers reflect their interests and communities. »
The new campaign follows last year’s ‘Local Beer Is Better’ campaign and features independent craft brewers including Bale Breaker Brewing Company, Green Bench Brewing Co. and Maine Beer Company who tell their stories and show the faces behind them, while promoting the seal of independent craft brewers. The campaign targets 21-35 year olds who consume alcoholic beverages and supports one of the association’s missions: to promote the small businesses that make up the mosaic of independent breweries across the country.
Campaign ads will appear on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube and Tinder. They will direct consumers to ThisIsIndieBeer.com, where they can find out if their favorite breweries are independent using the “Is It Indie” brewery search engine. Through the campaign, beer lovers can also learn more about featured breweries.
“Campaigns like these help elevate independent operators who don’t have the budgets to create campaigns like this,” said Aleena Mazhar, general manager of integrated communications, strategy and digital at Fuse Create. , an experiential marketing boutique. “I hope this encourages people to think about their beer choices and explore other local options, creating awareness and, ideally, sales of these independents.”
Ad spend for this campaign was 100% digital, according to Obenchain. However, it is unclear how much of the Brewers Association’s advertising budget is allocated to the campaign, as Obenchain would not share details of the overall budget.
Obenchain also said that Meta offers the best value for the association, with a lower CPM than other platforms, especially for prospecting audiences, while other channels remain affordable ways to reach its target audience. Obenchain would not comment on the distribution of ad spend between platforms. The association’s new campaign will run from August to the end of the year.
This isn’t the Brewers Association’s first foray into video ad campaigns. For more than five years, the association has championed small, independent craft breweries through numerous national campaigns, including “Take Craft Back”, “Independence” and “Choice” (jointly developed with Sterling Rice Group).
And the Brewers Association isn’t the only brand putting the spotlight on independent businesses. For example, Vistaprint partnered with the Boston Celtics to highlight small businesses in a recent campaign.
“This, in turn, could motivate more craft brewers to join the association and/or earn their brand seals, which is likely the desired outcome for the Brewers Association,” said Chris Costello, senior research director. marketing to the omnichannel marketing platform Skai.
The “Local beer is better” campaign was actually developed during the pandemic to encourage customers to visit local breweries. However, due to Covid-19, the Brewers Association did not measure sales or run comparables. “Between our national beer campaigns for America’s Craft Beer Week, National Independent Beer Day, and Small Brewery Sunday, keep business flowing during peak times throughout the year. ‘This is Indie Beer’ is a throwback to promoting the values of independence and the importance of independent craft brewers,” Obenchain said.
