Whats In A Name? Everything

[jacks_a_winner]

im after a little help for you wonderful lot -

im looking to try and market my brew, but need a good 'brand' before i can get the ball rolling!

Any suggestions?

im based in the adelaide hills, and will be looking at selling to 'young, hip, contemporary' venues!

i have been racking my brain for days and have got nothing.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[Lodan]

What are your typical beer styles?
Do you have any noteworthy processes that you use to make your brews?
Is there anything special about your location? Local landmarks?

I won't give you a brand name but happy to prompt!

 

[Cocko]

As far as a marketing point of view goes you need to decide upon simple things..

Fonts, colours, logos - that are all constant through all your publishing be it net, paper or whatever media etc...

Very important, this is called 'corporate image' - needs to be consistent - if you cracked the code and had a product that was taken up by the masses, then it would need to be 'identifiable' and if you had developed a 'corporate image' image in the building off said product then you are of and running!

In answer to your question - what is a good brand name? - what about 'Can't Face'

Cheers

 

[kocken42]

Market research Jumbawumba!

Go to your local bottlo (one with a decent variety of craft brews) and have a look at labels and names of mainstream beers, craft beers, specialty beers, imports. Note the ones you like. What did you like about them? How did the label/name make you feel? Did the name/label feel old or dated, or sleek and new, or just outrageous?

Also have a think about how you will stand out from the crowd. Think about it from the consumers perspective..."why am I going to risk my $10 on buying a beer I know nothing about?". Fortunately a younger target market are willing to experiment. Your name and label have to tell the consumer everything about the beer, before they've even had it. I think putting anything beer related in your name is boring and useless to most consumers (unless it's something awesome such as Yeastie Boys (already taken)). A name can often tell you about the quality, and mood to drink the beer. Will the name have some historic tie to a township or area? Will it evoke emotions of family and togetherness, relaxation and happiness, or party time...excellent!?

Good luck.

 

[jacks_a_winner]

Food for thought! this is just what i was after - thank you all.

im thinking about steering clear of any ties to the 'hills' location in the brand, in the hope that one day the brand will outgrow the area (grand plans!!).

I am aiming to develop an all round 'corporate image' - something stylish and 'fun', but also a standout simple. For example - i love the 'vale ale' branding!

there is nothing overly special about the beer - a crisp dry summer lager would be my 'flagship' - simply because it appeals to the masses.

Little pony - like you said, a name needs to say so much - that is why it has to be perfect! im not going one step further till i come up with something i'd be willing to walking a pub and try to sell!

 

[Bizier]

I suggest you need to have an identity for your beer first and foremost. I don't mean a visual identity, that follows. I mean what are you providing to people that they can't already get from other products? How does your product relate to your audience?

Once you have worked out what the crux of your product is and how it relates to your audience, then I strongly advise you to take this to a competent creative company who have a portfolio which includes products that are successful and match your needs, and work with them. The visual identity and has to flow on from your product and how you want to posture it.

As someone who seemingly has no pitch (to a bunch of brewers) about the actual beer involved, it gives me an impression that you have not taken the stony path of brewing on a tiny scale until you could afford old dairy equipment. That gives me the impression that your beer could well be contracted, and I might even go so far as to suggest will mostly about working hard on the marketing and distribution side. If this is the case, and you don't have a name, I suggest calling a professional.

I am a brewer, and have a graphic design degree, and I would even consider paying the right amount to have someone do a professional job on my branding, although I could also probably provide good direction to get to where I want quickly. Nothing used to shit me more than someone who has a preconceived notion, but tells you in the form of a question and makes you do fifty proofs before they say "I want it big and red" (and then whinges about price). That is why I suggest getting the "vibe" of the product and message totally locked down first and pick the kind of people you think are perfect for the job, and let them do their thing with a little guidance.

Another niggle I have is companies who seem to put the slick marketing before the product, sometimes, admittedly it works, but when I see a new brands with flashy shit everywhere pop up out of nowhere it makes me suspicious. If you have a good enough product, it sells itself, and only needs a little push. And then there is the case of Brew Dog, who market themselves aggressively, do crazy stunts, and have aggressive branding that appeals to youths, BUT importantly, it all manages to work with their product.

/rant

 

[Bizier]

there is nothing overly special about the beer

Tell me when you are done with the marketing so I can avoid it.

I don't often feel the need for a soapbox, but that quote is exactly what I feel is wrong with the state of beer in Australia.

 

[kymba]

please oh please don't plaster your labels with the "we only use premium malts" and "truckload of hops late in the kettle" spiel

gets old real quick *cough*fatyak*cough*

 

[Synthetase]

Tell me when you are done with the marketing so I can avoid it.

I don't often feel the need for a soapbox, but that quote is exactly what I feel is wrong with the state of beer in Australia.

Agreed. Pale lagers are a dime a dozen anyway. It's a crowded market and I personally feel you should offer customers more substance than a slick advertising campaign. I think Carlton Draught ads are great but I hate the beer.

please oh please don't plaster your labels with the "we only use premium malts" and "truckload of hops late in the kettle" spiel

gets old real quick *cough*fatyak*cough*

Not to mention "purest water blah blah blah". You mean water so pure and soft you can't mash with it?

 

[petesbrew]

"there is nothing overly special about the beer - a crisp dry summer lager would be my 'flagship' - simply because it appeals to the masses."

Cha-ching!

 

[petesbrew]

"there is nothing overly special about the beer - a crisp dry summer lager would be my 'flagship' - simply because it appeals to the masses."

Cha-ching!

No offense intended, but do we really need another "nothing overly special" beer in an already flooded market?
Best of luck to you though.

 

[Effect]

For example - i love the 'vale ale' branding!

Vale ale has very deep pockets and probably won't be turning a profit for the first few years, however they will build such a fan base of customers that they will have a strong foundation and hold on the market that the following years they will go very well.

there is nothing overly special about the beer - a crisp dry summer lager would be my 'flagship' - simply because it appeals to the masses.

Have you looked at how many crisp dry lagers there are out there? You are going against beers that have bottomless pockets when it comes to advertising. These beers appeal to the masses as they are not intimidating or provocative to the pallet. Because of this breweries have to add a 6th ingredient to their beers (the first 5 are water, malt, yeast, hops and sugar), which is marketing. Without a strong marketing campaign, these beers just wouldn't sell.

You are making your flagship beer a type of beer that is absolutely saturating the market at the moment. It would seem that you are not really much of a brewer, more a lover of beer wtih more money than sense.

Good luck.

Cheers
Phil

 

[WarmBeer]

im based in the adelaide hills, and will be looking at selling to 'young, hip, contemporary' venues!

there is nothing overly special about the beer - a crisp dry summer lager would be my 'flagship' - simply because it appeals to the masses.

I have taken the liberty of highlighting the keywords in your mission statement, and proposed a branding option for you based on your location and relevant synonyms.

Announcing:


"Adelaide's Bland"

There is a possibility this name may be misinterpreted by some...

 

[Bribie G]

I rarely drink in pubs nowadays but on my Sydney trip I darkened the door of quite a few and what really pissed me off were the fonts proudly announcing "Peroni, Italy" or "Becks <wank>Bier</wank> Bremen Germany.

How about being fukn honest and put "Warnervale" and "Lidcombe" on the taps.
Erm I don't think that's going to happen somehow.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

The old marketing rule, when you're launching a new brand in a saturated market - "don't try to take a tiny slice of an overcut pie, create a new pie or take a larger slice of an existing one".

You would be better off with a hoppy APA/AAA, a real IPA, a saison, a biere de garde, or a local belgian tripel for goodness' sake. You might stand a chance, then.

Competing with a "nothing special" beer is idiotic. If you can recall, which I'm sure you will, carlton draught's last few campaigns:

"Slow moooooootion" (current campaign);
"Made from beer"
"Flashdance"
"It's a big ad, for Carlton Draught"

You think you're going to compete in the "inoffensive" beer market against that? (I used inverted commas because I still find them offensive, but the vast majority of people find it to be "meh, beer").

What about Corona? There are number of other cheaper beers out there, yet Corona can still exists for $18/6pack (for a beer that costs 50c to make and import) appealing to pretentious beer wannabes. Hell, Sol can't compete adequately, with Wesfarmers (owners of Coles/Liquorland/half the country) and cheaper pricing, why can you?

The fact that you are in Adelaide, means you're competing with the largest "craft" beer maker (coopers) in the country, as well as the fact that the majority of craft beers in this country come from SA/WA. For a city of 1m people, Adelaide's beer market is more flooded with local beers than anyone else, because you can buy coopers anywhere.

Then you have the "sick of beer" onslaught that the kiddie-drinks are continuing to use, in order to erode beer's share of the 4-5% stubbie/can booze market.

The way I see it, you're trying to compete in an overcrowded market, yet alienating the drinkers that might give you a chance of succeeding (real craft beer drinkers). Look at the beers currently occupying "craft" beer headlines, have a taste - these are your real competitors, and if you bring out a "nothing special", they'll kill you (yes, S&W, I'm looking at you).

Not trying to be a hater, seriously not, but I don't think you've thought this through. And real craft brewers and drinkers are probably the only people who will tell you the truth, and if it were me, I'd rather the painful truth, than even more painful financial ruin.

Goomba

 

[petesbrew]

Brew and sell an Altbier.
There's none of them on the Australian market - if there are please inform me so i can buy lots of them.

 

[mje1980]

there is nothing overly special about the beer - a crisp dry summer lager would be my 'flagship' - simply because it appeals to the masses.

Will you also be trying to sell a cola flavoured fizzy drink too?

 

[wrath]

I am aiming to develop an all round 'corporate image' - something stylish and 'fun', but also a standout simple. For example - i love the 'vale ale' branding!

there is nothing overly special about the beer - a crisp dry summer lager would be my 'flagship' - simply because it appeals to the masses.

Ignoring your aversion to the "hills" referencing in your brand, sounds like "Hill Swill" could be a likely option?

 

[felten]

I hope the OP brought his flamesuit. h34r:

 

[kenlock]

Stirling Brewery - Stirling brews of sterling quality

Embrace the hills (quite a proud community/communities), mountain fresh (summer lager), mountain of hops (well in your IPA anyway), mountain of flavour.

Stirling Brewery - beers above the rest (would also work for Mt Lofty)