We don’t think it’s coincidental that Big Beer has seen volume decline year after year after year, even as it has poured more money into digital and experiential media.
And that’s not limited to beer. It’s true for many, many consumer goods. Campbell Soup, big cereal makers and others have all moved online, abandoning newspapers, magazines and television. And their volumes have gone down, too.
To be sure, part of the problem is simply that there are more – more brands, more types of media outlets. That makes it hard to concentrate your message, to have a real impact.
Still, some truths remain: Name recognition is critical. There’s a reason politicians turn to yard signs during elections. Usually, the politician with the best name recognition wins.
Faced with a proliferation of brands and varieties of brands at the store, you better have strong name recognition. If you’re just another label among many labels, your odds of being picked go down.
Big Beer (like Big Cereals, Big Sodas, etc.) needs to reach vast numbers of people every day. That objective can best be achieved, we think, by using big media. And outdoor. And by plastering your name on your delivery trucks. Impressions still matter.
You also need a story. For craft beer, the story is often the local guy making beer because it’s his passion. For Big Beer, the story is also critical. Michelob Ultra has done well because it has a story: Our beer is the one top-performing athletes drink. And “we like beer.”
It’s also true, of course, that alcohol is like perfume – it’s a fashion product. Just as hemlines go up and down, just as solids, plaids and patterns go in and out of fashion, so too do major categories. Right now, spirits are in fashion, and distillers rightly are emphasizing the “cocktail culture.”
Times will change. Spirits will eventually become Mom and Dad’s drink and beer will return. Just as 30 years ago it was all about clear spirits – especially vodka. Today’s spirits buzz is all about brown goods, in particular bourbon.
To be ready to take advantage of that change in drinking fashion, beer marketers need to be consistent in their marketing. Consistent in terms of media and message.