At a time when brands are getting conflicting advice from their many specialist advisers and are constantly overwhelmed by their need to understand the latest trend, too many marketers are failing to take stock of the ’emotional narrative’ of their brand.

This is particularly key in the beer sector. There are now more breweries per capita in the UK than anywhere else in the world, a fact that is compounded by  a drop per capita in alcohol consumption. As a consequence, owning a particular thought in the target drinker’s mind has become business critical. 

The common ground among organisations that have built great brands is not just performance. They recognise that consumers live in an emotional world. Emotions drive most, if not all, of our decisions. 

Yet using emotions to accelerate brand growth first requires identifying which key emotions a beer wants to convey to its consumers, and which ones it is currently eliciting. Only then can it work towards aligning with what it wants the consumer to feel and experience.

Most brands are evoking some sort of emotion whether they mean to or not. Being in control of that is a vital step toward positively connecting with consumers.

Those marketers who are already aligning with their customer’s subconscious needs are reaping the rewards.  From Coca Cola who exude happiness to Apple who focus on delight, surprise, love and connection, a great brand raises the bar and adds a deeper sense of purpose to the product experience.

Honing in on the emotions a brand wants to trigger is based on a clear understanding of what it is really about, and this is not always immediately obvious. 

Not all large and well-established brands evoke strong positive emotions that resonate with their consumers. In 2011 when Meantime Brewery emerged as London’s leading craft brewery, they had an award-winning product that did not sync with their current communications. Consistency and focus were required to ensure that their strong product offer was not being undermined.

Recalibrating the emotion they leveraged took its inspiration from Meantime’s roots – the confidence and directness of a real ‘Londoner’.  This became the focus of the brand. Their consumers’ feeling of belonging and attachment is reflected by a brand that loves London as much as they do. They effectively tapped into their consumer’s subconscious pride at being part of London’s very DNA, as they focused on developing an emotional connection with their core market in the South East. 

‘London born and brewed’ became their motto and, as their consumers saw themselves reflected in the brand, their relationship was strengthened. The business found a platform for more meaningful communication as well as a strong balance between craft brewing and more mainstream perceptions of what makes a good pint. 

Those organisations who have no previous emotional cues to tap into have carte blanche to decide which emotion will best connect with their target drinkers. Defining this connection often transcends the product, although in the case of start-up beer company Hiver , it was very much centred around the product.

Hiver built their marketing strategy around a ‘why’. By addressing ‘why’ Hiver existed, they wanted to uncover the emotional cues they might evoke in their consumer. 

The answer was straightforward, Hiver was the definitive British honey beer. Independently made using honey from independent British beekeepers, they passionately believed in giving their customers nothing less than the genuine article. 

Their independence separated them from mass-produced honey beers and pointed at a more bohemian personality, while their passion and attention to detail could also be leveraged emotionally. 

The idea of ‘Passionate independence’ has spawned a brand built on those principles, from using 100% British ingredients and suppliers to supporting pollinator charities with 10% of profits, Hiver do things their own way and appeal to consumers that follow the same mantra. 

Nowadays, product proliferation, enormous choice, and growing clutter and clamour in the beer sector has meant a great brand is now a necessity, not a luxury. 

Whilst taking an emotion-led approach to branding is nothing new, many breweries still fail to explore an avenue that could lead to an increased market share.  Flipping the emotional coin on its head requires gauging one’s own emotional ‘temperature’. This is the most effective short cut to successfully aligning with target drinkers’ own emotional drivers.

Ticking all the logical boxes from a marketing perspective does not guarantee success, it’s time beer became emotional.