Culture as Brand Case Study: New Belgium Beer- Fat Tire, etc

[Jeb Banner]

It's been the summer of Fat Tire beer around here. At least it seems that way. Have you noticed this as well? Friends are bringing over 12 packs of Fat Tire beer to parties. It's showing up everywhere I go. Sure it tastes pretty good but so do a lot of beers. What's up?

I starting looking at their packaging a little and it hit me- they are inviting us to not only drink their beer but to be part of their company's culture.

Check out their packaging- "Follow your folly, ours is beer" is one of their several taglines. Another is "The first wind powered brewery in America!" and a variation "Wind Powered, Employee Owned". They have also created a really nice company myth around the founder's "fat tire" bicycle.

note: I apologize for the blurry pics. There are no pics online that I can find of their packaging so I'm employed my phone for this blog.

On the bottom of the packaging they are inviting us to come hang out at their brewery. The fact that I'm in Indianapolis and 99.9% of the folks buying and drinking New Belgium Beer will never visit their factory doesn't really matter. I feel like I'm being welcomed into their culture. They even give us a map to find our way!

New Belgium has smartly realized that their culture is what really differentiates them. Their eco-friendly approach to life and brewing flow seamlessly into their marketing. It resonates with an increasingly eco-conscious consumer. No other major independent beer company has latched onto this opening. If a company like Budweiser tries to present themselves in the same way as New Belgium the consumer would have a good laugh at their expense.

The challenge will be as New Belgium has success will they be able to maintain the culture that has been so critical in creating their initial success. Therein lies the rub.

[Colin Clark]

The story of why this has been the summer of Fat Tire is much much much more complex than packaging. A few years ago Fat Tire was only available in Colorado. This was when I first heard about it. Someone visited there and brought the story back of this delicious beer.

Eventually they started making it available further and further East. I had a friend in college who used to always take trips to St. Louis and bring back cases of Fat Tire. Another friend used to fill his SUV with Fat Tire from St. Louis and drive it to Phish shows on the East coast. He would sell out for a huge profit.

Last December I was in Illinois and found that they had started selling Fat Tire there as well. I bought several six-packs to share with friends. Not long after that, we discovered that it would soon be available here as well. We were pretty excited.

The Fat Tire story has been building and spreading for a LONG time. This is a perfect example of how word of mouth marketing can start a frenzy.

Here's the thing... Coors used the exact same strategy when they expanded out of Colorado. They had huge market share when they first hit the midwest and east coast in the 80's. Now, of course, they've lost that advantage and go head to head with Miller and Budweiser.

Personally, I don't like Fat Tire as much now that I can get it everywhere. I think the fact that it was scarce was what made it so good (not that it's not a good beer - it is - I'm just saying it used to be magical). I wonder how long Fat Tire-mania can continue?

[Jeb Banner]

thanks for the comments!

[Jennifer Litz]

Fat Tire isn't the only brewery that does this. It's pretty much a benchmark of the microbrewing/brewpub industry in general. In fact, the small brewer has been gaining market share the past few years as macrobrewers' numbers fall. One of the reasons may indeed be that many brewpubs and microbreweries do seek to reflect their sense of place (look at the fanfare surrounding Shiner, Texas's unofficial beer). And we all know about the Renaissance in all things local these days.

But other reasons include people becoming more food savvy and trying to cook "gourmet" at home lately--hence, the surge in popularity of gourmet cooking-related shows like Top Chef, Kitchen Nightmares, etc. People fancy themselves arbiters of good taste, literally, more than ever.

[David A Wachtel]

"New Belgium" Brewing Company? I used to live in Belgium. There is no better beer in the world than beer brewed by Belgian monks that they sell...Belgian beer rocks. The Belgians taught the Germans.

Sometime you can get this (special Belgian beers) at places like Khans if you hunt around for it. It comes in a bottle similar to one for wine.

Or you can get the Belgian's version of Bud...Stella Artois. They started brewing beer about a hundred years before Columbus made the trip over. Stella is a food group.

[Jeb Banner]

hmmm, I would have to disagree. Try a bottled Heineken and then a canned Heineken. They are two different beers. The bottled one is almost always skunked and the can is almost never. I have done extensive testing...:) same with Budweiser, etc. Cans don't get the exposure to light that skunk them.

but that isn't what this is all about!

[Linda J Ranger]

Jeb...my husband would disagree with you. He will only purchase bottled beer because of the flavor cans impart on the beer. My son loves Fat Tire beer but he is of an age that is more into the "it" thing. Appears to be very good marketing to capture the younger beer drinking market and hoping to keep them through the years ahead.

[Jeb Banner]

So does Heineken, one of my favorites. Cans are better for flavor than bottles, at least in my experience.

[Lydia Whitehead]

Fat Tire also comes in cans (maybe their others do too, not sure), and it's not too often that you see a delicious beer in a can. I think that sets them apart as well.