The beer industry, like all industries, is defined by key events which take place over decades that result in the evolution of industry changes.  Philip Morris buying the Miller Brewing Co. and changing how beer was marketed was one of these events.  As mentioned in pervious blogs, Philip Morris used their cigarette marketing knowledge, supported by millions in media, to grow their brands.   The internet gave the consumer the ability to find and learn about different beers and styles.  As much as anything, the internet gave the craft industry the vehicle on which to build their brands.

In recent years, the advent of social media has been the key marketing strategy used by all breweries, especially the startup crafts.  Social media and craft beers, more than almost anything, define the millennial generation.  During this past summer’s NCSLA annual conference in San Antonio, one of the highly attended panel discussions was Millennials-Redefining the Beverage Alcohol Landscape.  On this panel we discussed not only the size of this generation, but how they handle the purchasing of consumer products.

Recently, the WSJ ran an article defining how Millennials are turning away from McDonalds.  In the article, the author cites that since 2011, sales to those ages 19-21 year old are down almost 13%.  Those aged 22-33 are flat.  The article mentions that the reason for the downturn in sales to Millennials is that this group is looking for healthy choices.  Chipotle is one of the restaurants to which the Millennials are turning.

In terms of size, the Millennials and the Boomers are about the same as far as numbers.  Both generations had, and are having huge effects on all consumer products, especially beer.  Philip Morris marketed Miller Lite as a product of Great Taste and Less Filling, using ex athletes as their spokes people.  The Boomers were also becoming health conscious, too.  Miller Lite’s message hit home, soon followed up by Coors Light and Bud Light, all less calories and less carbs.  Smoking went down as working out and exercising grew.  Soon eating better and healthier was added into their life.

Than the question could easily be; as Millennials age, as did the Boomers, will they change their drinking habits?  Will the growth of the craft segment slow or perhaps even stop within the next decade?  Light beer has less calories and carbs, craft beer is loaded with calories and carbs.  The higher the alcohol, the more calories the beer has.

Craft beer websites all highlight their beer, but with the exception of New Belgium, none post their caloric count!  They all have the ABV listed of each product along with the IBU count but try to find the carb count.

If McDonalds is correct in their assumption that the Millennials are eating healthier then the beer industry might want to pay more attention to the future of crafts.  One definition of social media is that it is “the personification of narcissism.” which to some degree, defines this generation.  The next decade will tell us if social media is really all about me, me, me!

Beer Fodder:

http://stlpublicradio.github.io/beer-gif/index.html