This blog post is a reply to author Adam Sadowski’s Good Beer Deserves Good Packaging.

Good packaging for beers can tell a story and make people wonder what’s on the inside. It can also bring an unique experience to beer-drinkers who are not only looking for tasty beers, but an authentic and aesthetic feeling when spending quality time with family, friends or themselves.

Heineken is not only famous for its high quality beer, but the initiation of the redesign campaign by customers/designers themselves to celebrate its 140th year in the beer business. Your Future Bottle Design Challenge puts an extensive archive of some 250 treasured items and images from the brand’s archives in the hands of designers around the world for use as inspiration.The theme of the designing is connection and future.

Competition: Heineken Future Bottle Design Challenge 2013

Heineken involves its consumers with the company’s history, development, as well as its value and believes. Besides the redesign campaign, Heineken addresses technological innovations, which can be adopted in packaging the beer products to provide better drinking, clubbing and social experience.

It launched a fun “Smart” bottle, which can respond according to the surrounding. Clinking two of them together for a toast causes them both to light up simultaneously, while taking a drink causes the LEDs to flicker rapidly. Setting one of them down for a moment will also trigger a sleep mode, where it slowly dims until it’s picked up again. The lights can even be controlled remotely to have them match up with a musical beat, turning a party into a synchronized light show.

Heineken: Ignite Story

Heineken emphasis the importance of packaging which brings the additional value to beer-drinkers and party people who are looking for tasty beer and fun experience.

Resource:

http://www.gizmag.com/heineken-ignite-smart-beer-bottles/27020/

Troika Brodsky, St. Louis Brewery’s communications director, believed that part of what makes the craft-beer industry so accessible and successful is the fact that consumers know the faces and names of the people who made it all happen. People are far more attracted a product that they can relate to, and you just can’t do better than hanging out and drinking beers with the folks who made it.

Now, the sense of familiarity, accessibility and community translates to social media.

Advantages of social media for small-sized craft breweries:

–          Social media is a transparent platform to let actual consumers see how the brewery is dealing with their products, services and customers, especially there are unpleasant experience occurred.

–          It is cost-effective to benefit both growing breweries and insatiable consumers who are looking for craft beer options and information about beers. Small, medium-sized breweries cannot afford the Super Bowl, but they can well organize their social media accounts.

–          Since most small craft breweries are community-oriented and depend on community’s support, social media is able to create a community for beer-lovers and let the brewery hear their voices and talk to them in-person when fellows come to store and check-in on Facebook showing that they are hanging out here with friends. The owner may be able to come out and invite them for two pints of free beers.

Disadvantages of social media:

–          It is difficult to convey in-depth message and diverse information through social media compared with the traditional newsletter, etc.

Another thing that breweries should avoid is that when becoming massive, it should never forget listening to what the community wants. Holding Tasting Festivals or having Friday Nights Gathering Specials is always a good way to bring folks together and develop customer loyalty.

Resources:

http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/10/22/men-need-to-meet-up-with-friends-for-a-brew-or-a-brawl-to-stay-healthy-u-k-study/

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/dining/bars-and-clubs-other/hip-hops/article_b0fbcc77-29f1-56a1-a8b3-3d08132145f5.html#ixzz1cT4RvLlX