Brewdog - Know Your Limits, & Your Target Audience
BrewDogs latest bar opened in Bristol on the 27th October, a brilliant Birthday present for me, culminating in watching a man vomit down the perfectly polished glass door in plain view of an audience with more than the average variant of facial hair. It wasn't me, I was sensible and only had my 15% beer in thirds. That and the cost of a pint of the stuff would have cost more than the shoes I was wearing. (I think that's normally a good gauge.) Look, I even did a diagram;
x = Smartness of shoes needed to enter establishment
y = Price of beer
z = Price of shoes
Brewdog, as a brand, as a business, sits as a righteous start up looking to save us from weak fizzy lager. A brand so focused on delivering not only a product, but a complete change of perception in its target audience. When we are talking about our much loved lager and beer. That is a big ask.
But what of this BrewDog? Whats the big deal. You may know BrewDog as either a) that glorious company committed to bringing you an outstanding collection of beer the likes of which have never graced a supermarket shelf.
Or... you know them as b) that company that makes ridiculously strong beers for fun and thrives on marketing gimmicks such as stuffing bottles into a taxidermied stoat or squirrel. A generation of uber-louts. Righteous sponsor of the London riots.
Image: Billy Abbott
I like the stuff. Sure, without the marketing it could have been a batch of abandoned dodgy home brew , but give me a bottle with a nice label and a carefully chosen distressed font and you've sold me a lifestyle that overshadows pretty much everything else. Call me fickle, but I do actually like it. Honest.
What's the problem then?
So I have problem with BrewDog, or at least I believe it to be a problem. Their no compromise marketing campaign is full on and does take offence to pretty much every other beverage available. They would describe bottled water as 'mass produced blandness dripping from every pub in the land' if they could.
I like Fosters. I also like BrewDog. Am I a bad person? Probably. But I am willing to change.
Is BrewDog trying to guilt trip us into repressing memories of gloriously British binge drinking. A crate of Fosters was once a good weekend, but more investigation is needed, and welcomed.
Have you been to Brewdog Bristol yet? What did you think? More importantly, what did you drink?
