With more than 9,000 independent craft breweries in the U.S., the power of a strong brand to help tell your personal beer story is clearer than ever.
Today's brewers want to stand out from the crowd of other breweries, but they also face increasing competition from newer players in the craft beverage marketplace: ciders, seltzers and ready-to-drink cocktails to name a few.
A visually consistent and recognizable brand is critical to keeping your product front-of-mind when trying to attract customers to your taproom, brewpub, retail shelves or ecommerce sites. Well-crafted, relatable and consistent messaging goes hand-in-hand with well-crafted, relatable and consistent beer.
So what goes into crafting a great brand?
Consider your "Ws"
- Why are you in business? What gets you up in the morning? (your purpose)
- Why do you do what you do? And how do you do it? (your values)
- Who do you do it for? (your community)
- What makes you unique? (your differentiators)
Telling your brand story
Once you've answered these questions, you're ready to create your personal "brand story". It starts with a great product of course, but your purpose, values and differentiators are also reflected in your workplace culture, the atmosphere ("vibe") of your taproom or brewpub, and the retail experience you offer in stores and online.
If any positive has come out of the COVID years, perhaps it has been the time and space given to breweries to do a deeper dive into their core branding (or lack thereof), their relationship with their community, and the consistency of their visual messaging.
Indianapolis-based, food and beverage branding firm CODO Design, created its popular "A Crash Course in Craft Beer Branding" webinar and Craft Beer Branding Guide to guide brewers and beer industry professionals through the brand-building process. Connecting the key visual elements - your business name, logo graphics, color palettes and typography - into a cohesive identity system helps set and fulfill customer expectations whenever and wherever they interact with your brand: on-site, on-shelf or online. The possibilities are endless for continuing your story within:
- Your physical space (décor, signage, menus, coasters, merch)
- Your retail space (packaging, labels, carriers, POP displays)
- Your digital space (website, ecommerce platform, social media)
