15 November 2022
By Roger Kennedy
roger@TheCork.ie
Digital marketing insights for Cork brewers
In order to survive the shocks of modernity, many brands need to come up with extremely ambitious communication strategies that give a completely different look to their corporate image, adapting it to the new trends and values that increasingly unite a large number of consumers in every corner of the world.
This operation is particularly necessary for all those brands that have already suffered a very hard blow as a result of the general change in customs, the emergence of new trends and new lifestyles that threaten to seriously jeopardize the destinies of various companies, regardless of their sector of belonging. One of the sectors in which the change has been most evident is certainly that involved in the production of alcoholic beverages, such as spirits or beer.
The health-conscious turn that has involved millions of people around the world, with a newfound focus on everything related to people’s physical and mental well-being, has put a strain on the fortunes of an industry that, despite a solid user base it can count on, has lost a surprising number of consumers over the years, irresistibly attracted to health-conscious lifestyles that in no way involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages, with rare exceptions.
Unforeseen difficulties
Under these extraordinary circumstances, all brewers (including those in Cork) must implement equally extraordinary strategies, or their business will inevitably succumb under the mighty blows of modernity. And in most cases, an effective communications plan may be able to solve most of a company’s positioning problems by finding suitable solutions and appropriate content to use at particularly delicate historical junctures.
One local brand that can already rely on excellent online communication is certainly Franciscan Well, which has been brewing delicious beers since 1998. Within its three online channels – on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – this local producer has been able to convey, in a few simple words, some of the core values that characterize most of its activities, while also highlighting some distinctive traits that set it apart from its competitors.
These two variables, namely the insistence on brand essence (also manifested through values) and the desire to differentiate oneself, certainly represent two powerful weapons at any company’s disposal, but they are not the only ones.
A case study
All Cork brewers should keep in mind what happened a few years ago with the New Zealand brewing specialist brand DB Export, which was able to harness the power of communication to bring its sales numbers back up and to establish a unique relationship with its consumers.
With an ingenious gimmick, this brand found a way to employ yeast discarded from production to create a sustainable biofuel, thus convincing all consumers that through the consumption of their beer they could even save the world.
By associating their brand with a common cause, such as a concern for sustainability or respect for the environment, each brand has a valuable opportunity to reposition itself extremely quickly, and to meet the needs of a public that increasingly makes its purchasing choices based on emotional, ethical, and social factors, in the belief that its individual daily choices can make a concrete contribution to improving everyone’s existence.
Thai brewer Chang has also included several references to sustainability in its online content, especially on its website. The desire to leave a positive and sustainable impact on the environment is perfectly evident as early as Google, in the textual content immediately below the clickable words that lead to the Thai brand’s site, but also in the design of most of its labels, where the phrase “natural ingredients” almost always finds a place.
This company has succeeded in combining sustainability, fun, and quality of life, resulting in communication that is full of interesting insights. Among the brands that have been able to reposition themselves most effectively, thanks in part to the strength of their content, are certainly those belonging to the online gambling sector, capable of associating the exclusivity of traditional gaming experiences with the allure of digital, creating a truly perfect combination for online entertainment.
Within these portals, every user will be able to try for free or for real money some of the most popular casino games present online, thus immersing himself in a truly unique digital experience. The presence of an entire catalog of games to choose from, moreover, allows each user to find the experience that best suits his or her tastes, with the possibility of accessing them in a simple and hassle-free way.
Sometimes, in order to properly complete a repositioning operation, one must act forcefully, firmly, thus equalizing the violence of the jolts to which modernity subjects us.