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Branding or marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first?

November 24, 2015Cody Fague and Isaac Arthur

CODO - Cart Before Horse
Don’t put the cart before the horse. Build a solid brand foundation and grow from there.

Does your craft brewery need marketing or branding first? We hear this question every now and then from startup breweries and even from folks with a well-developed business plan. There seems to be a bit of misunderstanding between these two important tools. After fielding this question again recently, we thought we could take a few minutes to explain the subtle, but important, differences between the two and when each should be put into play.

Starting out, your brand is your customers’ perception of your company, including your beer, culture and all the good (and bad) experiences they’ve had with you. It’s their gut feeling about what you do and what role your brewery plays in their lives.

Branding is the active shaping of this emotional connection. It’s the continual telling of your story, your “why” to bring new friends into the fold and the reinforcement of why you’re so important to those who are already fans. This messaging manifests through many touch points, including your name, brand identity, package design and responsive web design.

RELATED: Six steps to responsive web design for craft breweries

Marketing, on the other hand, tends to be shorter term and tactical, often channel- and tool-based. Ideally, it stems from a well thought out plan aimed at getting people to do something specific through active promotion. Maybe it’s to follow you on Instagram. Maybe it’s to head in for a brewery tour or a local bar for a tap takeover — all of which is designed to keep your brewery top of mind.

Marketing puts a fire under people and gets them to act. Branding is what keeps them engaged and coming back for more. It’s a subtle difference, and you’ll find that the timeline between the two can get blurry. While they’re both important, branding is foundational and should come first, informing and driving marketing efforts. Without it, you have no way of telling people what you stand for. And you have nothing to “market.”

This column was provided by the folks at CODO Design, a five-man branding firm based in Indianapolis, IN. They’ve spent years working with startup craft breweries on naming, branding and positioning, responsive web design, and package design. They’ve gathered their experience into a comprehensive Craft Beer Branding Guide to help startup breweries navigate the entire branding process. Check it out at www.craftbeerbrandingguide.com.

Q&A: A designer and a lawyer walk into a brewery … to discuss creating and protecting a compelling brand
Brand extensions, line extensions and cobranding: Learn how to tap into brand equity to grow your brewery’s reputation and revenue
2019 craft beer branding trends (part one of two)
CODO_Craft Beer Positioning Tactics
Setting new breweries apart through branding and positioning

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  1. BevvShop says

    November 26, 2015 at 10:40 pm

    Branding or marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first? https://t.co/0psBJMU2l8 #branding #marketing #beer https://t.co/Msc4lwNAQ6

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  2. ManCanBeer says

    November 26, 2015 at 10:31 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Branding or marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first?. We ask @CODODesign https://t.co/WVuWFgCMFy

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  3. Paul Speed says

    November 25, 2015 at 6:36 pm

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  4. Craft Crawler says

    November 25, 2015 at 6:36 pm

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  5. USbevX says

    November 25, 2015 at 11:02 am

    #Branding or #Marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first? https://t.co/VXmKE7yV9Q #CraftBeer https://t.co/fMIDQJDDsE

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  6. Michael Conolly says

    November 25, 2015 at 6:22 am

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    November 24, 2015 at 10:06 pm

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  21. Dal_Beer_Lawyer says

    November 24, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Branding or marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first?. We ask @CODODesign https://t.co/WVuWFgCMFy

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  22. Kate Paterson says

    November 24, 2015 at 5:51 pm

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  23. BeerNewsRT says

    November 24, 2015 at 1:50 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Branding or marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first?. We ask @CODODesign https://t.co/WVuWFgCMFy

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  24. Isaac Arthur says

    November 24, 2015 at 1:36 pm

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  25. John Wanner says

    November 24, 2015 at 1:36 pm

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  26. LVRGLLC says

    November 24, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    #CraftBeer #CraftBrewing #Beer #BeerBiz Branding or marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first? https://t.co/WWkWYfdGNy

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  27. MeasuredMethods says

    November 24, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    #Branding or #marketing? Which does your brewery need first? https://t.co/DEIdrtd39l

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  28. CODODesign says

    November 24, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Branding or marketing? Which does your craft brewery need first?. We ask @CODODesign https://t.co/WVuWFgCMFy

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  29. Jeff Platt says

    November 24, 2015 at 12:51 pm

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  30. crsimp01 says

    November 24, 2015 at 12:38 pm

    Branding or marketing? Which does your brewery need first? https://t.co/XLcfANgL2D via @craftbrewingbiz

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