Beverage 2.0 Marketing Viewpoint

Don’t Let the Brand be the One to Suffer

There’s an expression within our industry that says “brands are built in the on-premise, then purchased in the off-premise”. Or maybe you’ve heard it as “get the sampling in the on-premise, get the volume in the off-premise.” Either way, you get the message. 

Although these theories may be subject to occasional debates, please don’t ask me to prove them wrong.

Much to my dismay—I’m no Gen-Xer—but let’s just say I’ve been around long enough to see successful brands prove these principles correct. Take Corona, for example. Now trust me, I’m neither a beer expert nor a company executive, but have you ever wondered why you’ve never seen Corona beer on draught?  Maybe it’s because they quickly realized that once you’ve poured a draught Corona into a glass, it becomes just another lager beer on draught. I don’t know for sure but in similar fashion, it’s not a coincidence that a Heineken draft handle isn’t a site you see everyday either. We all understand that Corona’s marketing philosophy is open to debate, however, what is not debatable is the all-important role “product sampling” plays in the life of building a successful brand.

At Beverage 2.0, we’ve been amazed at the resources suppliers have invested to “better understand consumer behavior.”  How the research gets done varies by supplier but the consumer insights across the board have been impressive. And we know that these insights play an important role for suppliers in product development and brand strategy from wholesaler implementation through to local market execution.

Sampling events are always an important weapon in the local promotions toolbox to the point where wise retailers have come to expect these tools to help increase awareness and drive customer traffic on slow nights. With that meetings get scheduled, calendars are compared and events get booked. If the process were to end here it would all be perfect, but that’s almost never the case.

All too often, the event takes place and that’s when the finger-pointing between the supplier, the wholesaler and the retailer begins.

Everybody expected the other guy to “pack the place” right? And no matter who is at fault, the efforts are squandered, monies spent, and only the brand suffers if the retailer decides not to carry it any longer. But it doesn’t need to be that way because the truth at the end of the day is that each tier—retail, wholesale, supplier— has neither the resources nor the vested interest in marketing, soliciting, building and sorting a database of target consumers who do want to know more about and sample your brands.

Whether it’s moving a new stout, selling the Sauvignon, or introducing the latest vodka, Beverage 2.0 recognizes the challenges each of you face on a daily basis.

Remember, you all have one thing in common—and that is the consumer.

We’d like to think we know your role, because knowing your role means knowing your challenges. And like every good vendor knows, they can’t deliver real solutions and results without having played the game themselves.

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Joe Angrisano is the co-founder and CEO of Beverage 2.0, a Salem, MA based consumer-driven marketing and promotions company specializing in the beverage alcohol industry. Beverage 2.0 uses cross-lifestyle marketing and social media tools to identify, classify and group consumers into desirable segments with similar tastes and interests. Email: Joe@mediacrushllc.com