The craft beer industry in the U.S. increased its footprint in 2019 to nearly $30B. According to the Brewers Association, craft beer captured 13.6% of the U.S. beer market by volume and grew by 4% in volume. Overall beer sales were slightly down (2%) but craft breweries sales went up 6% to $29.3B. Craft breweries own a 13.6% share of the $116B beer market that includes domestics and imports from the big breweries. The numbers are encouraging although we expect a drop due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a 3.6% increase while the overall beer market dropped to -1.6% is a hopeful sign.
One of the biggest hurdles for any beer in today’s market is brand awareness and positioning. Standing out from the crowd has never been more important. While many consumers have a “go-to” beer there is a significant section of the market that is influenced by packaging, labels, graphics, color, and layout. Craft beer drinkers like to explore and experiment with various brewers. Telling your story has never been more important, but limited space on labeling has always been a challenge because you have to include certain things by law like contents, calories, nutritional info, etc., which takes up valuable label space.
Building a loyal following begins with consistency, taste, flavor, and appeal. But if a consumer has never tried your brew it’s hard to capture all of that on six-pack printing, or a beer label until now. Traditional beer labels typically are identified by their logo, a positioning statement, or tag line and color. Beyond that there just isn’t a lot of space to expand on your brand.
The all-new Story-Label™ is a marketing dream for craft breweries. You can double your print space and expand on your brand. Positioning your brand has never been more important and the Story-Label™ enables you to enhance your brand by telling your unique story while other beers settle for a logo and a few words. Imagine connecting with the consumer in a way like no other? If your brand has a unique story about its formation, name, family of origin, or mascot you can use a Story-Label™ to tell the story without worrying about space limitations.
You can feature a note from your Master Brewer to explain the brewing process, feature employees, or seasonal brews with detailed information. The sky is the limit on what you can do from a branding perspective.
These high-quality labels perform in cold and wet conditions. The flexographic labels ensure stunning colors and graphic details of your product stand out from the competition. Because the plates are made in-house the turn around time for these cutting-edge labels is fast whether you are running a few thousand or several hundred thousand. The ink used in the process is a proven water-based product that is environmentally friendly. This is a craft beer label like no other.
The Story-Label™ is a powerful customized brand marketing tool that allows you to provide engaging content for consumers and attract a bigger following for your product.
The label is like a door on hinges. You can “unhinge your brand™” and tell your story when the consumer opens it. Imagine gathering a loyal following of your labels being collected and posted in man-caves, garages, or collected like bottle caps, or cans. Your fall (Octoberfest, Harvest) or summer seasonal brew could be promoted in a way like never before. The possibilities are endless for creating engaging content driving your brand for consumers and building a loyal following.
We are a family-owned, local business that has carved out a niche in producing high quality, performing labels for CBD oils, craft beer, and neutraceuticals. Every craft brewery has a story to tell and we want to help you tell yours with a Story-Label™
Go to www.cpandp.com/story-label for more information.
Ben Waldrop, President
Century Printing & Packaging
Greer, SC
800.344.7509