Perhaps you’ve already seen the surprising and bizarre “Take Craft Back” headline: “Craft Beer Community Wants to Buy AB InBev.” Or maybe you got an email about the BA trying to crowdsource $213 billion—as in, the most money you could imagine multiplied by 213.

Wha-huh? You might be saying, and with good reason. It’s a totally off-the-wall, ridiculous idea that has almost no validity on the face of it. And this is coming from the Brewers Association? The professional organization of the U.S.’s independent craft brewers?

What in the world is going on? Are they serious? What are they really up to? What would they even do if they actually got the money? Would AB InBev even sell?

At least, I went through a thought process something like that, myself. And what did it make me do? Well, it made me start clicking on links, trying to figure out more.

And that’s why Take Back Craft is so brilliant. It made me want to know more.

A Campaign with an Ulterior Motive

After all, is the BA really interested in buying AB InBev? Probably not. I mean, if they somehow got the money I think they’d consider going for it, but there’s an ulterior motive: consumer education.

The BA has been on a push recently to protect the concept of brewery independence in the face of the series of brewery acquisitions in recent years. Those acquisitions have consequences for smaller breweries’ access to materials and for consumer choice—as every craft brewer’s favorite John Oliver segment detailed.

Those of us who follow these things know it’s happening (though it can still be hard to keep up with who’s owned by whom or not). But there are plenty of consumers who don’t know or understand why it matters to them—after all, they can still get their favorite beers, and the prices are pretty good (though there’s also a related conversation, here, about commercialism).

Say what you will about the acquisitions, Take Craft Back is a bold, powerful move on the independence side of the debate. It uses shock-value to drive clicks, which provides them the opportunity to inform readers of the changing beer landscape.

A Campaign Aligned with the BA’s Goals

It’s a risky move, since you can’t be this wild too often. The BA won’t be able to pull something like this for some time. They probably know this, but it’s that important an issue to them.

It’s an effective move, however, because it is so well-aligned with their values and their message. How do you raise awareness about “Big Beer” buying craft beer? Fight fire with fire, turn the tables, flip the script—all that good stuff. Buy “Big Beer” and reprivatize it and you solve your independence problem, right?

The ostensible purpose fits squarely into the BA’s core philosophy about brewing.

A Campaign that Ripples Outward

The Take Craft Back crowdsourcing website does accept “pledges,” but those pledges are mostly an excuse to get e-mail addresses and to give away branded merch that will serve to spread the message farther. Thus, a consumer interested in learning more will also have an opportunity to participate in delivering the message, plus the BA compiles a list of likely advocates for future independence initiatives.

StoryBrand Best Practices

The campaign has the advantage, too, of placing the brewery and consumer in the “hero” position in the story, with the BA as the guide providing the means by which we’ll take craft back. This is precisely how Donald Miller and his StoryBrand workshop teaches we should be framing all our marketing.

The power, here, is just in empowering the consumer—with information and with action. It allows everyone who pledges to feel like they’re participating in something bigger than them that is important to them.

Some Limitations, Still

Of course, no campaign is perfect. For all the creativity, forethought, and skill that went into the campaign, it has some rough spots that, I hope, they can correct over time to better serve their ends.

Be Careful Not to Confuse the Reader

I’m a pretty bright guy, and I’m generally pretty good at spotting internet hoaxes, but this campaign can’t quite seem to decide if it’s serious or not about raising that money. Admittedly, everything is pretty tongue-in-cheek, and there are little caveats here and there about how ginormous and inconceivable an amount of money it is, but it’s also one of those ideas that’s just crazy enough to work.

Not based on $10–50 donations from consumers, of course, but with a team of venture capitalists, brewery partners, and a million or so craft beer drinkers, well . . . why not?

At any rate, I wanted to see something a little clearer to the effect of, “Hey, this is really about preaching the importance of independence and enlisting your help to spread the word.” In the Brewers Toolkit, which the BA provides to members wishing to participate in the campaign, they clarify that they’re collecting support rather than real dollars, so why not make that clear on the site?

Education Requires Resources!

The Take Craft Back site has a pretty solid video that covers the main talking points about brewery independence, and their “Why Buy Anheuser-Busch InBev?” page gives a few more, but all told they seem to assume that craft drinkers already know why they should prefer independently produced beer.

I’m not so sure about that. I think it can’t hurt to provide more information. You got me to click through to your site, you got me to watch your video. I like the tone, I’m inclined to agree with you, but maybe I want some more facts and context. I think the site could benefit from an FAQ page addressing questions like:

• Do I really have “fewer choices” when the brands I love are still on the shelf, even after acquisition?
• Don’t acquisitions benefit brewers by (a) netting them profit for their business and (b) giving them greater access to supplies?
• Which erstwhile craft breweries are currently owned by AB InBev? Which are owned by MillerCoors or Constellation?
• What would you do if you actually bought AB InBev? In other words, what is the preferable or ideal commercial beer landscape?
• What action steps should I be taking if I value craft beer independence?

Clarify the Call to Action

The primary call to action is to pledge, at which point you can request the free Take Craft Back merch. This, then, could presumably become a conversation starter.

There is a secondary call to action, which is to look for the BA’s “Certified Independent Craft” seal when you shop the beer aisle.

Both of these are good as far as they go, but the marketer in me wants to push them farther. Why not make it: “Pledge your support. Get your free stuff. Tell your friends to buy independent.” They will walk you through those steps anyway, but go ahead and make it explicit.

Then put the “Seek the Seal” message in more prominent places. It’s still new enough that plenty of consumers will need to learn more about what it means and why they should look for it. And it’s not just another one of the talking points, it’s the BA’s main tool for combatting “Big Beer” at this time.

 

Okay, so this is quibbling a little bit. I’m a perfectionist and a tinkerer, after all, but I also like to see good ideas succeed, and Take Craft Back seems like a good idea.

If your brand could use a perfectionistic tinkerer to think about your positioning, story, and calls to action, contact me and we’ll set up a time to talk.