BrewDog accused of stealing marketing ideas

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by wesbray, May 12, 2019.

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  1. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
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    :thinking_face:
    Maybe not...:grin:
     
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  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    And don't forget, she liked to "smoke some crawdads" too!

    A woman ahead of her time!?!:flushed:

    Cheers!
     
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  3. Screper

    Screper Zealot (591) Jun 18, 2010 Massachusetts

    Have to clarify some things it appears:

    The invoice is from Jenny Frankart who appears to have been a candidate for marketing position at BrewDog. She had absolutely nothing to do with the "Punk AF" marketing plan from @ManifestLDN. She simply appears to be a classic entitled millennial, who is upset about not getting a job after a long interview process. Ten out ten marketing interviews will require the candidate to spend time, outside of the interview, putting together marketing plans. THIS IS HOW COMPANIES DETERMINE IF YOU CAN DO THE JOB!! At no point are they required to pay you for this. Absolutely insane that she says in her tweets - "I have never pursued legal action." NO KIDDING - Because you can't; sad world we live in now where people believe they should be compensated for job interviews.

    As far as stealing a marketing idea for Punk AF. I'll leave that one up to the lawyers but that seems to me to be the cost of business in a position where you get paid to provide ideas to others.
     
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  4. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
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    Can we please go back to Granny and Jed and the stuffed squirrel?
     
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  5. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
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    And the crawdads!

    Cheers!
     
  6. meefmoff

    meefmoff Pooh-Bah (1,848) Jul 6, 2014 Massachusetts
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    This sort of swipe really doesn't bolster your point.

    And I don't have enough information to feel strongly about this one way or the other, but isn't the fact that several other people chimed in to the tweet thread with similar stories and concerns the bigger issue?
     
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  7. Snowcrash000

    Snowcrash000 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,017) Oct 4, 2017 Germany
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    I think this much has been pretty clear. She first showed up in the same twitter thread that was started by by Manifest though.

    Sad world we live in where people actually believe that workers should provide labour, be it physical or intellectual, for multi-million dollar companies for free. You also missed the part where she claimed that Brew Dog agreed to compensate her for travel expenses and then never did.



    Also, who the fuck "interviews" someone for 5 MONTHS? That's not an interviewing process, that's just an excuse to get free labour out of people.


    [​IMG]
     
    #47 Snowcrash000, May 13, 2019
    Last edited: May 13, 2019
  8. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam


    The interview process used is known as Talent Assessment testing and it is being used with increasing frequency. It typically consists of asking the candidate to perform one or more simulated or real tasks that are comparable to those they will be expected to be doing well at if hired. Its use is growing because there are data showing increased validity when compared to the standard 15-30 minute Q&A session. (I.e., the percentage of hires that are successful goes up, and the percentage of "poor choice" hires goes down, thereby reducing the costs of a hiring in general.)

    For certain types of routine tasks the testing may be done in an hour or two and online, for other more complex and/or creative tasks it may be spread out over several days since what is desirable for both the candidate and the potential employers is a realistic work sample of what can be expected under anticipated working conditions. Sometimes the tasks are done at the "convenience" of the applicant rather than in a fixed time frame set by the "interviewer."
     
    #48 drtth, May 13, 2019
    Last edited: May 14, 2019
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  9. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,389) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
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    BrewDog's statement of "...we didn't ask you to produce work which will be used for BrewDog's commercial purposes" seems directly at odds with several of the interview requirements that are explicitly asking for ideas to promote BrewDog beers, mobilise BrewDog Equity Punk investors, grow their social media online community, etc. Assuming the interview requirements posted are verbatim from BrewDog its looks very much like they explicitly asking them "to produce work which will be used for BrewDog's commercial purposes."

     
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  10. QuakeAttack

    QuakeAttack Pooh-Bah (1,999) Mar 19, 2012 California
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    I stopped reading after it said "BrewDog"...
     
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  11. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
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    Like I said, Granny's hiding place for her rheumatism medicine in the stuffed squirrel is way more interesting than modern hiring practices. This stuff is drier than alum or unripe persimmons.
     
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  12. sharpski

    sharpski Pooh-Bah (2,806) Oct 11, 2010 Canada (BC)
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    You know what would further increase the odds of successful hires and decrease the risk of poor choices? If each of the candidates were to work at the company for 6-12 months for free, so the hiring managers can “really get a good feel” for each one as they settle into the work. At the end of that time, one candidate is hired and the others simply have their key cards revoked. The successful candidate is already up to speed and the others, well, better luck next time.

    I replied to your post @drtth, but that wasn’t directed at you specifically. Of course the Talent Assessment process is increasing in popularity/frequency, it shifts a significant portion of the hiring risk from company to applicant.
     
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  13. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
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    Sounds like double secret pre-probation. Rules will follow where needed.
     
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  14. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    Well, risk can be in the eye of the beholder. Personally I'd rather be hired because I can do the work than because I went to a prestigous school and dressed in a nice conservative suit with matching tie. That decreases my risk that I'll be let go in 12-18 mos and gives me a firmer basis to compete from if I decide to leave my job for other opportunities.
     
    #54 drtth, May 14, 2019
    Last edited: May 14, 2019
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  15. CannedWaggoneer

    CannedWaggoneer Initiate (0) May 1, 2017 Ohio

    If there was any doubt about how BrewDog puts marketing before brewing their "Brewcruiter" put those doubts to bed right there in that email.

    Asking of this potential marketing candidate;
    "An idea for a new beer launch. Include what the beer is, and a creative idea to launch it, with rationale for your decisions [sic]"

    It's always seemed evident to me that they launch beers for their marketing strength rather than any craft brewing integrity. But here it is in writing. BrewDog shouldn't even been in craft beer conversations.
     
  16. pwdbyhops

    pwdbyhops Pundit (781) Apr 1, 2015 Ohio
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    Actually, i'm not sure that the law is on the her side. What exactly is protectable (by intellectual property rights) in what she provided? Is there a contract between Brewdog and the woman that states that everything the woman provides is protected and cannot be used? There is a big difference between morally wrong and illegal.
     
  17. pwdbyhops

    pwdbyhops Pundit (781) Apr 1, 2015 Ohio
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    Agreed that there is nothing wrong with the testing. However, Brewdog should not use the material. That is the crux of the issue: Did Brewdog actually use any of her work? Even if they use her stuff, it may be morally wrong, but it may not be protectable (depending on what sort of information she provided). Unfortunately, people aren't trained to ask for a contract (like an NDA) which delineates the rights of the parties w.r.t the work product.
     
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  18. southdenverhoo

    southdenverhoo Maven (1,363) Aug 13, 2004 Colorado

    So is there anything in the world less punk rock than BrewDog?

    I was thinking, maybe the Chamber of Commerce in some central Ohio town with a population less than, say, 15,000 people, but then I re-read the “interview” task sheet...
     
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  19. rightcoast7

    rightcoast7 Maven (1,294) Apr 2, 2011 Maine
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    Agreed. The corporatized, shiny, faux-badassness neatly packed in the trappings of punk rock is completely nauseating.
     
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  20. meefmoff

    meefmoff Pooh-Bah (1,848) Jul 6, 2014 Massachusetts
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    It would appear that the Brew "dog" in question is actually Poochie.
     
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