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Wineification of craft beer: The good, the bad and a brewery branding case study from SPARK

July 16, 2015Chris Crowell

SPARK branding
Pretty rad logo. Check out how it got there.

So, in case you didn’t notice, there are a lot more craft breweries today than there were even three years ago. For you, professional craft brewer, this is both good and bad: The drinking public is hungry for beer and is supporting more and more breweries (good!); more and more options mean more and more competition for shelf space and share of wallet (kinda bad!).

What’s taking place right now, according to advertising agency SPARK, is the “wineification” of the market. Here is how Elliott Bedinghaus, VP of creative for SPARK, explained the double-edged sword of wineification:

“The philosophy of wineification has two sequential components,” he says. “The first relates to the elevation of beer to a more premium level. There is an air to wine and drinking wine that represents fulfillment and enjoyment. The aromas and food pairings create new experiences that people love. Craft beer is currently on a similar trajectory. It’s not just something you drink to get a buzz, but people are increasingly more cognizant of choosing different types of beer for different occasions.

branding brewery“But the philosophy of wineification is a double-edged sword because the second phase involves overexpsoure. If craft beer continues to elevate, people will begin to order styles not brands – similar to how wine drinkers order a merlot instead of a ‘9 suns merlot.’ We’re already beginning to see it with IPAs even though the flavor profiles within that category are so vast.”

Luckily, the answer for your craft brewery isn’t “just sit back and let that double-edge sword decide my fate.” You can influence the wielding of this sword with some solid branding.

“A solid brand is the key to breaking through that behavior,” Bedinghaus says. “It builds preference and demand through connection.”

If you have a lot of time on your hands, I encourage you to dive into our archives for some top-notch branding advice, from logo creation to website building to gaining inspiration from your local market. But before that, let’s hear from SPARK on how they worked with Coppertail Brewing Co. in Tampa Bay, Fla., to stand out in its local market.

Take it, Bedinghaus:

“Coppertail came to us with their name and the idea that the Coppertail was a sea monster. Originally they had some ideas of what the sea monster might look like, and it was very different from where we ended up. Additionally, the original inclination was to use a variety of bright colors to attract people and bring life to the brand.

“After working with their team to define their core values and the beginnings of the Coppertail story, we decided it would be more engaging to have a sea monster that was never fully revealed. The logo today, affectionately called the C monster, is a direct reflection of that idea. Is it a diving mermaid? Or merman? Some type of fish or a tentacle from an octopus? The intrigue of the sea monster was the beginning of a brand built on imagination.

“And although it felt counter-intuitive, the backdrop for this imaginative brand was black,” he added.

(Lots of great photos of the design on Page 2)

Pages: Page 1 Page 2
Logo marketing message
How your company logo informs branding, drives business
2022 Beer Branding Trends Part 2: Beyond Beer
2022 Beer Branding Trends Part 1: Reinvention
How to brand your hard seltzer, navigating from brewery to beverage company

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Effypop says

    July 20, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    Effypop liked this on Facebook.

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  2. txbudman says

    July 18, 2015 at 4:09 pm

    Interesting article about wineification of craft beer. Brand building’s important, so is consistency and drinkability http://t.co/5nyZJXMztP

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  3. BrewStudNo1 says

    July 18, 2015 at 12:36 pm

    RT @BrewStuds: Wineification of craft beer: The good, the bad and a brewery branding case study http://t.co/v9tlBow7bb http://t.co/UzGNjH4l…

    Log in to Reply
  4. Ohio_Digital says

    July 18, 2015 at 11:25 am

    RT @BrewStuds: Wineification of craft beer: The good, the bad and a brewery branding case study http://t.co/v9tlBow7bb http://t.co/UzGNjH4l…

    Log in to Reply
  5. amontefinise says

    July 18, 2015 at 11:11 am

    RT @BeerPicApp: How to avoid (and benefit from) the ‘wineification’ of #craftbeer http://t.co/X0IgE03qjn

    Log in to Reply
  6. BeerPicApp says

    July 18, 2015 at 11:02 am

    How to avoid (and benefit from) the ‘wineification’ of #craftbeer http://t.co/X0IgE03qjn

    Log in to Reply
  7. sprecherbrewery says

    July 18, 2015 at 10:40 am

    RT @BrewStuds: Wineification of craft beer: The good, the bad and a brewery branding case study http://t.co/v9tlBow7bb http://t.co/UzGNjH4l…

    Log in to Reply
  8. wcpojesse says

    July 18, 2015 at 10:38 am

    RT @BrewStuds: Wineification of craft beer: The good, the bad and a brewery branding case study http://t.co/v9tlBow7bb http://t.co/UzGNjH4l…

    Log in to Reply
  9. BrewStuds says

    July 18, 2015 at 10:35 am

    Wineification of craft beer: The good, the bad and a brewery branding case study http://t.co/v9tlBow7bb http://t.co/UzGNjH4lCi

    Log in to Reply
  10. KCHopTalk says

    July 17, 2015 at 11:01 pm

    Wineification of craft beer: The good, the bad and a brewery branding case study from SPARK http://t.co/lqkjIgav2J

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  11. Shad Bowman says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    Shad Bowman liked this on Facebook.

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  12. Doreen DiSalvo says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:22 pm

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  13. Tiffany Ballas says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:22 pm

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  14. Amanda Story says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:22 pm

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  15. SPARKbrand says

    July 17, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Wineification of craft beer: The good, bad and a brewery branding case study from @SPARKbrand http://t.co/q0opL47nTi

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  16. Joshua Bennett says

    July 17, 2015 at 6:07 am

    Joshua Bennett liked this on Facebook.

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  17. Friscokid49 says

    July 16, 2015 at 10:13 pm

    How to avoid (and benefit from) the ‘wineification’ of #craftbeer http://t.co/8nVJdCsM9r

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  18. Diane Mccloskey says

    July 16, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    Diane Mccloskey liked this on Facebook.

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  19. beerforyou says

    July 16, 2015 at 7:26 pm

    The ‘wineification’ of craft beer. #beer http://t.co/v24PdzMBWm

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  20. crsimp01 says

    July 16, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    How to avoid (and benefit from) the ‘wineification’ of craft beer http://t.co/2KNnzEkNIQ via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  21. Katie R. Stouffer says

    July 16, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    I want that glass!

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  22. Jonathan Turner says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:36 pm

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  23. Jeff Platt says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:36 pm

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  24. David Stephens says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:36 pm

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  25. Tyler Reeder says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    Jason

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  26. BobbyBump says

    July 16, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    @joshchapman http://t.co/3Uh0xDdA2O

    Interesting read.

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  27. RantsRavesBeer says

    July 16, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Wineification of craft beer: The good, bad and a brewery branding case study from @SPARKbrand http://t.co/q0opL47nTi

    Log in to Reply
  28. April Watson says

    July 16, 2015 at 12:53 pm

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  29. Toshihiko Oki says

    July 16, 2015 at 12:53 pm

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  30. Taweechai Thongrod says

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