“Women’s Beer” Or Beer That Appeals To Women?
It turns out that women are increasingly driving the wine industry (just ask Julie Brosterman at Women & Wine), and it is no surprise that the men behind beer are also interested in a little of that action – as it were. So then, the question is either how to make beer “for women,” or how to present beer in a way that appeals a bit more to feminine brain traits.
The latter option is the more transparent marketing approach – so guess which one I’d suggest?
Let’s be honest. Beer is what it is – and it is nothing if not an acquired taste for anyone. Many people, myself included, have managed to acquire that taste despite “formative” college years of cheap, bad brew. But, how can a quality beer brand really connect with adult women today?
A few things to consider:
1) Image makeover. Replace the youthful, frat-boy perception of beer with something more relevant to a grown-up. That may mean re-packaging its delivery (from pints to smaller/hipper glassware or general design changes to bottles/cans), adding a fruit garnish or representing it in a food-paired rather than bar-oriented way, among many other possibilities.
2) Educate the market. Rebut the myths and present the facts. Or, take the wine marketing approach and share the story behind the brewery and its community. And/or, leverage the consumer trend in local/sustainable beer production, if you can do so authentically.
3) Be where women are. Pay attention to your media buys and channels. Take the Olympics television audience, for instance: more women than men have tuned into the Games on NBC. This perhaps surprising fact rated coverage by the New York Times’ Stuart Elliott, who pointed out the consumer brands that had kept women in mind with their campaigns. (It doesn’t look like a beer brand made that list.)
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article by Aaron O. Patrick, U.K. beer brands may be on a particular mission to gain more female fans. Still, they (like so many other non-beer related brands) face a challenge in how not to alienate men in the process, as per this quote:
In targeting female drinkers, the beer industry also risks a backlash from its most loyal customers, men. Some brewers are trying to strike a delicate balance in promoting beers as “unisex” to try to attract female drinkers without losing male ones.
Finally, the elephant in the room would be: calories. This is the stereotypically female reason to choose wine or something else over beer, but isn’t it likely a topic both genders would love to see addressed in this much more health-conscious age?
As with all marketing efforts, the idea would be to first, make a better connection with the women who already drink beer and get their help. Second, with their input and a lot of the wisdom gathered from years of marketing in general, beer brands could reach out to prospective female beer drinkers in a much more lifestyle relevant way.
Sounds a lot like marketing 101 to me.
Remember: No one wants a “women’s beer.” But, no one needs to know that a beer was created and marketed to appeal to women, either.
