Beer brands' touch points

Today, we will try to understand what is a brand touch point, and to bring out which touch points are the most used by the beer brands in the French market.

Brand consumer experience first starts with touch points. Indeed, consumer experience does not begin at the purchasing moment but when the consumer is aware of the existence of the company, of the brand. Thus the consumer experience begins at each interaction or contact with the brand, since it may influence the consumer’s perception of the brand. Actually, Ron Shevlin, author of Everything They've Told You About Marketing Is Wrong, defines brand touch points as "Repeated interactions that strengthen the emotional, psychological or physical investment a customer has in a brand."

First of all, we can distinguish the pre-purchase experience touch points, the purchase experience touch points and the post purchase experience touch points.

Basically, each beer brand has its own brand identity and brand image, but all use the same touch points to reach consumers by being the most visible as possible in the market, and so arising brand awareness in consumer’s mind. Thus, rolling out strong communication campaigns seems to be the first step to reach consumer’s mind. All brands use classic advertisements like billboards and ads in magazines, but they have strongly focused on digital media and on the organization of special events involving the consumer himself for several years.  

Many brands have launched digital campaign through social media. One of the first viral video is obviously the “Wassup” campaign from Budweiser launched in 2000. The campaign was run worldwide and its results exceeded the brand’s expectations. The buzz around the ad contributed to a 4.8% growth rate in Budweiser supermarket sales for the first five months of 2000, compared to the same period the year before. Moreover, the brand increased its awareness worldwide. Another example of a good campaign is “The Desperados experience” on Youtube, which is very interactive thus it requests consumers to participate in. The Internet user can interact with the platform setting and invite his friends to get into the experience via Facebook. Desperados managed to draw consumers’ attention, and that campaign has improved a positive image to the brand.

Regarding the French market, in 2011 consumers could have taken pictures of Gordon’s ad in the street, thanks to a special application created for this campaign, in order to win some discount coupons.

Indeed, beer brands use more and more digital media to promote their name, than classic advertising. They aim at getting more and more into consumer’s daily life, but in entertaining and creative ways to increase their campaigns ‘effect. Brands want to height consumers’ awareness and also to keep their current consumers.

When consumers are purchasing, the brands try to reach them through the packaging of their products, which must easily recognizable regarding to the general brand universe. For instance, Guinness has succeeded in building a very differentiating universe: this strong Irish beer has a deep dark colour and the packaging reflect the nature of the product. The reference to the beer colour is recalled at each touch point to the consumer. 

In stores, brands aim at setting trust in consumers’ mind through a strong and consistent brand image. By delivering their value there, brands can reassure consumers on their possible purchase by showing them their products will keep their promises. Consumers must perceive the brand as able to fill their expectations.

While brands try to reach new beer consumers, they also work hard on every post-purchase touch points to keep their current consumers by providing them a complete website, sending them newsletter to keep them inform about the brand, building a strong relationship with them in social media etc…

Obviously, brands cannot focus on every touch point, but they put their efforts on their most relevant t by identifying the strongest touch points that drive efficiently the brand experience they want.