Smart Advertising for Craft Beer

Advertisers are getting smart. I heard an ad on a local radio station today for a restaurant that was promoting their great craft beer selection. With that phrase, my ears perked up and I started listening. All because they added that one simple, little word: craft.

Image courtesy of www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Relish

See, I don't care if you've got a great beer selection, because that's so run-of-the-mill. That probably just means you have both kinds of beer: AB-InBev and SABMiller. But if you've got craft beer, well, that's a whole 'nother story. A Clydesdale of a different color, as it were.

Slightly-modified image compliments of clydesusa.com

The craft beer industry continues to grow, and consumers are seeing the benefits of that growth. For example: choices! When someone advertises craft beer, you can usually expect that the selection will be pretty great, with a variety of breweries and styles. Consider McCleary's Public House in Marietta, PA (less than 1/2 hour drive from York). My wife and I love to dine there, and I always take a few minutes to peruse the craft beer menu, which is broken down by style. (Their online beer menu is not quite as well laid out as their printed one.) Similarly, consider Victor's Italian Restaurant in York, PA, another favorite of ours (and about which I've previously written). Their rotating "beer bible" acts as your guide to fun for the evening. Both places advocate craft beer, and craft beer enthusiasts show thanks by frequenting their establishments. Win-win.

So if you're in advertising and you're reading this, I hope you've picked up on the fact that you need to use the word "craft" in your beer ads. Because craft-beer geeks won't listen if you don't, and plain-beer drinkers won't notice if you do. Prost!