Breweries will go to great lengths and spend millions of dollars to create internet meme for a brand. It is very difficult to simply create an effective branding tactic, not to mention having a brand’s identity become part of a generation’s lingo. If a brewery is fortunate enough to create such a marketing home run for a brand, then it becomes a question of how long can the brewery ride this success, and how does the marketing evolve?
Corona could be considered the personification of building a brand without losing its identity and core message. After decades of touting the brand as “Beach in a Bottle,” the phrase still rings true today.
Some great brands created slogans, and thus branding, that the consumer instantly connected to: “When you are out of Schlitz, you are out of beer!” or “For all you do, this Bud is for you” and another, “If you got the time, we got the beer, Miller beer.” But with each of these brands, the advertising changed as the years passed and the brands’ popularity faded.
In 2006, Dos Equis discovered an internet meme that quickly became embedded into everyday language and drove the brand to double-digit growth. “The Most Interesting Man” campaign had great success with the line, “Stay thirsty my friends,” along with the myriad of impossible accomplishments that made up his stories. Dos Equis rode this highly successful marketing campaign for 10 years. But when the man who played The Most Interesting Man part, Jonathan Goldsmith, was replaced with a younger version, the magic was lost and The Most Interesting Man campaign soon ended.
Now along comes the industries’ latest rocket ship, White Claw, which appears to be resistant to anything that will slow down its growth. While White Claw’s advertising is not unique, the brand has developed a strong online presence through ironic memes and parodies. There are a number of Instagrams devoted to jokes about White Claw, including whiteclawgang and itsawhiteclawsummer. Retail accounts that either ran out of White Claw, or do not carry the product, are referred to as being “declawed.” It seems these White Claw memes are never ending. One truly cannot buy this kind of marketing, it is so unique. No doubt White Claw and its distinctive marketing have resonated with the millennial generation. White Claw is a breweries’ marketing department dream product, and if played right, will remain that way for a number of years. Even the line extensions for White Claw could drive further sales. Think of the options: Black Claw, Red Claw, Brown Claw, and others. The possibilities are endless.
White Claw, unlike Dos Equis might be a brand that the marketing people cannot mess up, however, that remains to be seen. Until that time comes, life is good for the White Claw distributors!
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