Insight Brewing's marketing/branding

You and me both!

 

I thought someone posted in a thread here some where that they talked to a marketing group and it was recommended to rebrand... or something along those lines.

 

Sounds like you're right... http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...nnesota-2015-2016.243513/page-19#post-3820731
But not much else regarding 'why' that style and such.

 

Whatever the branding the yuzu pale aka Hell Chicken is reallly good and an easy drinkin beer

 

My issue with the new branding is that it makes it confusing about what type of beer it is. Maybe I just need to get familiar with the new names, but I don't want to drink a Hell Chicken. I do want to drink a Yuzu Pale Ale..

 

I guess I don't see what the big deal is. Other breweries name their beers and it's not immediately obvious what the style is.

Their beers, the few I've had, have been solid and something a little different. Gotta get over there to try the cherry saison.

 

agreed... I know other places name beers so that I have no clue what it is. I think my issue is more around adjusting from beers named what they are to random names

 

I'm scared to drink Surly Darkness. The name doesn't say what style it is.

 

You should be petrified to try Surly Pentagram then!

 

... and Hell and Furious and Cynicale and Todd The Axeman, oh my!!!

I think that's why Surly has not seen much success, nobody knows what style their beers are.

 

This has been fun.

 

When I was still a teenager, there was a phrase: "attitude is everything", which was almost universally adopted by everyone from mere forward thinkers to musicians to pure, unadulterated adrenaline junkies.

The fact that we've* mentioned Surly in relation to Insight's new branding is a good example of the adoption of this phrase as a day-to-day maxim, and it's also pretty emblematic of Craft Beer as a broader beer industry and cultural movement.

Surly has beers which were named in a fun, and perhaps even flippant manner. Insight is trending in this same direction, and trying to build the brands based upon a reputation for creativity in the naming (and of course, brewing) process.

At some level it's all marketing in the end. Class dismissed.

*Collectively-speaking, of course.

 

I don't care what it's called - the Yuzu Pale Ale just isn't very good. I actually haven't been all that impressed with any of their beers, if I'm being honest.

 

I agree, however, I would like to point out that a brewery (or more correctly the person running the brewery) is not creative if they have to hire a marketing company to come up with names for their beers. This clearly seems to be the case with far too many new breweries (I'm not just talking about Insight here). As someone who is extremely detail oriented I cannot for the life of me understand how someone can spend all the time, money, frustration, sweat, tears, and even more time it takes into getting a brewery off the ground, and fail to give any meaningful thought to a marketing strategy.

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse with my views on this subject.

 

I respectfully disagree. It seems you're suggesting that someone who can make beer must also be a marketing genius. Which is quite a stretch. Just because a person can determine the proper mix of ingredients and the proper way to combine them over the brewing process, does not imply they can properly identify their market and the correct way to engage and interact with that market.

Marketing is a science. So is brewing. But much like assuming a Physicist can help with Biology, I think assuming a Brewer is an expert Marketer is also flawed. Personally if a person realizes they have a weakness in their overall business plan, reaching out for help seems like a smart move to me.

 

Exactly.

 

When a person takes the step from being an amateur home brewer to a brewery owner they are becoming a business person, and should therefore have some sort of business acumen. I'm not saying they need to be a marketing genius, but they need to some understanding of marketing. If they can't handle the business side of operating a brewery it's not wise for them to open one. I do concede that it is wise for a brewery owner with no knowledge of marketing to consult a marketing firm, but for the public to think the brewery is being creative with their marketing is placing credit in the wrong place. It's the marketing company not the brewery that is being creative.

Also, let's not confuse being a great home brewer with having what it takes to open a brewery. You don't need to brew well to open a brewery. All you need is $500,000 to $1,000,000 cash, and good credit.

 

I've recently been told by an established brewery owner in Minneapolis that that figure is closer to $2M currently. Probably cheaper if you're not in a bigger city and go for a more outlying area. Crazy.

 

I don't doubt that figure at all.