Untapped: A Craft Learning Tour on Beer & Sports Culture
The Gig
Cultural exploration for authentic storytelling
With craft breweries cropping up across the country, the growing interest in local brews has negatively impacted the franchise bar and restaurant industry. Our client sought to better understand perceptions of its own menu as well as the attitudes and behaviors of beer drinkers to inform future beer menu decisions and marketing opportunities.
Approach
We shared a pint and listened to respondents’ stories navigating flavors and atmosphere.
We set out on a learning tour in three cities where beer is the fabric of the social community, exploring urban and suburban markets, to learn about attitudes toward craft beers but also domestic and international options, as well.
We met with a diverse group of men and women for both in-home and friend group interviews. They took us along to their favorite beer settings which ranged from local watering holes to breweries to an NBA game. They told us everything from how they navigate a beer menu to how their beer choices have evolved over the years. We also conducted a mini beer tour in one of the markets and hosted an expert panel consisting of beer bloggers and Cicerones.
Impact
A documentary to share with franchise owners to ensure consistent insight activation
We crafted insights that helped our team and their franchise owners understand how behaviors differ between import, domestic, and craft beer drinkers. We identified opportunities rooted in insights about memory-making, heritage, and the coming-of-age drinker.
“The Beer culture exploration laid the foundation for the program that still exists today across all markets. I still reference the work that we did on almost years ago now probably on a weekly basis, and find that it laid the groundwork for continued insights and inspiration.”
These learnings were captured in a documentary that could be shared with franchise owners nationwide. As a result of this work, the team created a set of expectations for franchise owners that would ensure consistent insight activation across locations.