OnTap Magazine

GOING PRO MARCEL HARPER MARKETING ERRORS & HOW TO AVOID THEM THREE ROOKIE CRAFT BEER IN MY WORK WITH CRAFT BREWERS, I'VE ENCOUNTERED SEVERAL COMMON MISTAKES THAT MOST MAKE WHEN IT COMES TO MARKETING. AND WHILE THIS ARTICLE'S TITLE MIGHT SUGGEST THAT ONLY BEGINNERS MAKE SUCH ERRORS, I'VE CERTAINLY ALSO SEEN THEM MADE BY VETERANS OF THE INDUSTRY. SO, IF YOU ARE A CRAFT BREWER OR HOPE TO BE ONE , DON'T FEEL BAD IF YOU'VE ACTED LIKE A BIT OF A ROOKIE MARKETER. BREWING AWESOME BEER IS YOUR JOB BUT SO IS SELLING THOSE SUDS, SO READ ON BELOW FOR TIPS ON WHAT TO AVOID! Despite their massive marketing budgets, macro breweries are often restrained when it comes to how they apply design. Luckily, craft brewers' advantage is not that they can spend more money on design (they can't), but that their designs can be far more radical, free from corporate oversight committees, more beautiful, and a great deal more fun. This is where you need to unshackle your imagination, especially when it comes to the design of your beer labels, tap handles and medallions, brewery swag (e.g. t-shirts, caps, coasters), and general brewery and taproom aesthetic. Don't be tempted to retreat to the conservative designs of macro breweries. I assure you that your fans have seen enough hops cones and barley stalks framing a coat of arms to last them several lifetimes! Rather subvert old conventions, breathe life into cliches, and go wherever whimsy and your love of beer might take you. This does not mean that you must have aliens and monsters on your beer labels (although please feel free to go there if you like!). Even pastoral and farm-related themes can be represented in fresh, well- designed ways. First, you have to invest in proper, professional design. Other than your brewery equipment and ingredients, this will be your largest investment in your business. So make peace with that. Do not outsource design work to your "artistic" niece or nephew! Check the portfolios of professional designers. Interview them. Make sure they share your vision and passion for your brand. Then pay them to do great work. Second: design everything. Design is not just for beer labels and tap handles. All elements of your brewery should have a design once-over. Think carefully about the experience you would like your beer fans to have. What should the brewery's taste room look like? What about posters on the walls (and on the walls of liquor stores and pubs that sell your beer)? Walk through the whole experience of a typical fan of your beer with a designer's hat on (or better yet, let the professional designer you've hired walk alongside you). Then, make sure that design touches each part of that experience. IGNORING DESIGN HOW TO AVOID IT: ALL THAT IS REQUIRED TO AVOID THIS ROOKIE ERROR ARE TWO THINGS #1 ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2023 | 49