Craft beer doesn't need TV?

I think where we'll see craft beer making in-roads is in doing product placement, or sponsoring an event. Currently though, it's far more effective to use your own customer base to get new customers. Word of mouth gets results.

 

Some advertise in local markets because that is their customer base. In January 2015 White Birch Brewing of New Hampshire bought time on New Hampshire TV stations only:



And another thing. There are so many YouTube beer reviewers out there these days that smaller breweries get free advertising thanks to them.

 

It's mainly the crafty brands who are trying to convert their parent counterparts into not only buying Miller, but Leinenkugels. I've seen tablet ads on xfinity on demand programing and the like. Blue Moon is guilty. Actual mid to low level regional breweries? No, I've never seen it.

Just recently La Cumbre Brewing Company (distributes in NM and Southern Colorado), a local Albuquerque brewery (maxing out around 8k barrels last year) partnered with our states State Fair, to form the official state fair, a Cream Ale. There easily could have been a big corporate sponsor who sponsors a "Bud Light Bier Garden". I have yet to go, so I'm unsure of the beer choices. But from the standpoint of being an official product of something is moving in the right direction imho.

I feel more than just straight TV advertising, we are seeing breweries at more events, and doing the sort of partnership that is more hands on.

 

Who cares, I'd rather have them spend the money on more quality beers, than on T.V. advertisements.

 

New Belgium 's Tour de fat gets them a lot of publicity. Port City, here in Alexandria, does bike rides that get word of mouth in the cycling community. I am pretty sure I have seen sponsored brewery items om my Facebook feed. There are lots of ways to market other than ad buys in traditional media. Other than for BBC, TV is probably not worth the cost for most craft brewers.