AuthenticMatters

This Week’s Awful Logo….

Goes to Shock Top, AB’s “Witbier.” (Calling it such, is a stretch to being with.)

If anyone can tell us who this branding is supposed to appeal to, by all means, do so. Beer snobs? No. The occasional craft enjoyer? Nope. The frat boy? Eh, probably too expensive. My dad? Hah. Belgians? Not going to even respond. Herc from The Wire? Possibly.

See the resemblance?!?! 

Point is, well thought out branding in a crowded, popular consumer market is critical. You need to know who will consume your product. And you need your branding to reflect them. Because let’s face it, we’ve all picked an adult bev before based on the label, can, tap, etc. Those elements are part of the experience. Case in point: my buddy brewed my wife and I some beer for our wedding. The bottles had no label. And that made them that much cooler. They were conversation pieces. People wanted to take pictures of themselves swigging homebrew that was too underground, too fresh, and too exclusive for a label. The same can be said for the opposite (aka, Shock Top). Does your consumer want to be seen consuming your product? Do they want to talk about it? Hell, do they even want to order it by name? (“I’ll have a Shock Top, please. *Bartender rolls eyes*) And for beers, branding plays a big role in those decision processes. Unless beers are $0.50, then who cares. But they’re not. Actually, for maybe a dollar or two more, you could get an authentic whit that doesn’t boast a mohawk, and green tinted sunglasses from the 90s.

However, if this is your tier, then let’s compare oranges to oranges: 

Which brand is more inviting and more reflective of what the consumer might aspire for (which is an authentic whit experience, from label to flavor):

ShockTop (AB)? 

Or Blue Moon (Coors/Molson)?

Seems like a no brainer.

(BTW, this isn’t the start of some weekly column, despite the post title.)