Diageo Screw BrewDog

BaZmO*

Bit of a PR disaster from Diageo.

The 2012 BII Scotland Annual Awards: Celebrating success in the license trade in Scotland. BII are an organisation (www.bii.org) whose mission is to raise standards in licensed retail. The awards on Sunday 6th May were a huge glitzy affair held at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.

Kerry, Mark, Neil S and Neil T attended the award ceremony. We had heard that BrewDog were expected to do quite well in the ‘Bar Operator of the Year’ category and the members of the bar team were suitable excited to see if our hard work would be recognised by this most prestigious and illustrious award.

However we were not announced as winners of the award. This disappointment was further compounded when one of the judges (seated at our table) told us in disbelief ‘this simply cannot be, the independent judging panel voted for BrewDog as clear winners of the award’.
Events took a further twist when the people who got given the award refused to accept it as it clearly had ‘BrewDog’ engraved on the trophy as winners.
On Tuesday, 2 days after the award, I (James) took a phone call from Kenny Mitchell, Chairman of the BII in Scotland and Chairman of the Award Committee explaining the situation. To directly quote Kenny:
‘We are all ashamed and embarrassed about what happened. The awards have to be an independent process and BrewDog were the clear winner’
‘Diageo (the main sponsor) approached us at the start of the meal and said under no circumstances could the award be given to BrewDog. They said if this happened they would pull their sponsorship from all future BII events and their representatives would not present any of the awards on the evening.’
We were as gobsmacked as you by Diageo’s behaviour. We made the wrong decision under extreme pressure. We should have stuck to our guns and gave the award to BrewDog.‘
We would like to thank Kenny Mitchell and the BII for their refreshing honesty here and for initially giving the award to BrewDog before their overbearing and blackmailing sponsor undermined the independent judging process completely by bullying them at the last minute to deny BrewDog of an award they rightfully won.

More here, including Diageo apology.

Big Nasty

Thread on this in AH at the moment. I would be inclined to leave it there as it gives more coverage to craft beers TBH.

BaZmO*

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Thread on this in AH at the moment. I would be inclined to leave it there as it gives more coverage to craft beers TBH.

So there is, although I doubt it'll stay long on the first page.

Big Nasty

BaZmO* wrote: »

So there is, although I doubt it'll stay long on the first page.

AH gets infintely more traffic then this forum. This is the right place for it for sure, but it would be good to see 'the masses' read about it too!

BaZmO*

MCMLXXV wrote: »

AH gets infintely more traffic then this forum. This is the right place for it for sure, but it would be good to see 'the masses' read about it too!

And that's why I said it "I doubt it'll stay long on the first page"

Big Nasty

BaZmO* wrote: »

And that's why I said it "I doubt it'll stay long on the first page"

True for ya!

There's a thread on it in AH as already mentioned and two here. Lets give the AH one a little support and educate the masses and return here when that dies down?

Krusty_Clown

What a fantastic stroke of luck for BrewDog! Seriously, they couldn't have bought this kind of publicity. Lots of non-craft beer drinking friends are posting links to the article on Twitter and FB. They're really getting their name in the headlights.

I'm a big fan of BrewDog (beers and ethos). Just wondering, how big do you have to be, before you become a macro rather than a craft beer maker?

BaZmO*

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Just wondering, how big do you have to be, before you become a macro rather than a craft beer maker?

I'd say it's more about philosophy rather than size. Sierra Nevada seem to be quite big but they'd still be considered a craft beer maker.

adamski8

BaZmO* wrote: »

I'd say it's more about philosophy rather than size. Sierra Nevada seem to be quite big but they'd still be considered a craft beer maker.

yeah but recently bought out though right?

BaZmO*

adamski8 wrote: »

yeah but recently bought out though right?

Not sure, but the point still stands I reckon.

BeerNut

Sierra Nevada is still completely independent.

Craft beer in the UK is certainly just an ethos or marketing term. It's a term non-cask breweries like BrewDog use to separate themselves from both industrial keg and "Real Ale".

In the US, the Brewers' Association puts a size limit on their definition of craft beer but it's adjusted to suit the Boston Beer Co. so is now a massive number that carries no real sense of craft. The American beer scene is pretty much post-craft at this stage.

Beoir defines "Irish craft beer" in line with the size limit in the Finance Act 2005: 20,000hl per year, adding that it musrt be brewed in Ireland by an Irish-owned company.

Berty

I read this on Four Corners Twitter yesterday and nearly p*ssed myself laughing. They didn't hold back on the Brew Dog page, especially "flipping the bird" in the picture.

As I don't really know the ins and outs I can't say much although I will say the Diageo statement didn't go far enough.

I had to remark "Every dog has its day"

Elbow

I've got a feeling there's going 2 be an interestingly named brewdog beer in the next few months

evercloserunion

Fair play to BrewDog and they have every right to be furious at Diageo, but seriously...

BrewDog website wrote:

As for Diageo, once you cut through the glam veneer of pseudo corporate responsibility this incident shows them to be a band of dishonest hammerheads and dumb ass corporate freaks. No soul and no morals, with the integrity of a rabid dog and the style of a wart hog.

"Dumb ass corporate freaks"? What are these guys 15 years old or something?

I really like some of BrewDog's stuff and I think it's great that they're out there pushing craft beer, but their style/image really grates me sometimes. It strikes me as being very poserish and immature.

IrishWhiskeyCha

I agree with you evercloserunion, BrewDog are all about hype but their antics are getting a bit boring for me now too. And the Diageo incident was like manna from heaven for them. There was more PR from this than BrewDog could ever hope for if they just won it straight. However I don't think Diageo will be too worried as it will all be forgotten in a few months. Obviously not if BrewDog can help it though but in general the public won't care about it too much.

mayordenis

evercloserunion wrote: »

Fair play to BrewDog and they have every right to be furious at Diageo, but seriously...



"Dumb ass corporate freaks"? What are these guys 15 years old or something?

I really like some of BrewDog's stuff and I think it's great that they're out there pushing craft beer, but their style/image really grates me sometimes. It strikes me as being very poserish and immature.

I guess not everyone has the same fascination with what is accepted as the norms of proffesionalism. I think they're right to call it as they see it, I would guess 9/10 people in this country would still rather corperate greed, fraud and political corruption to anyone who is a bit different.
Anyone with an even sudo-alternative lifestyle is shat on in this country, anyone who tries to be well read, like nice food or drink, tries to better themselves, or in the case of Brewdog, doesn't speak in the standard soundbyte PR style. I reckon your outrage here is totally misguided.

IrishWhiskeyCha

mayordenis wrote: »

I reckon your outrage here is totally misguided.

Did not sound too outraged to me ... re-read the post again.

mayordenis wrote: »

I guess not everyone has the same fascination with what is accepted as the norms of proffesionalism.

Do you not see the irony in your comment ...

Brewdog said on their website ..

"shows them to be a band of dishonest hammerheads and dumb ass corporate freaks. No soul and no morals, with the integrity of a rabid dog."

This issue is not an issue with what Diageo did, we all were appalled at that, but the way Brewdog have responded to it ....

It may be true but not very professional me thinks

Is this the generation of X factor sound bites we have to look forward to :rolleyes:

I think such comments cheapen the company and lowers them to the same level of Diageo

snowblind

evercloserunion wrote: »

Fair play to BrewDog and they have every right to be furious at Diageo, but seriously...

"Dumb ass corporate freaks"? What are these guys 15 years old or something?

I for one am glad someone is worried about Diageo being insulted here, fair play.

Diageo, Ryanair, big corporations like that, will never think twice about f***ing over their competition or their customers any chance they get. And you are worried about the frustrated little mans response being badly mannered, priceless

This so called professionalism is just another word for disaffected jargon that the lawyers of these corporations spread. I'm glad everyone doesn't adhere strictly to that ****e.

Krusty_Clown

Elbow wrote: »

I've got a feeling there's going 2 be an interestingly named brewdog beer in the next few months

How right you are...

@BrewDogJames wrote:

Might brew a beer to commemorate the Diageo Scandal http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/diageo-screw-brewdog-part-ii But what should we call it? #AndTheWinnerIsNot

Carawaystick

For professionalism you should read the 'heartfelt apology' diageo put up buried on their website
Corporate doublespeak boilerplate stuff

I'd take a Tokyo anyway instead of the blandnness

stevenmu

mayordenis wrote: »

I guess not everyone has the same fascination with what is accepted as the norms of proffesionalism. I think they're right to call it as they see it, I would guess 9/10 people in this country would still rather corperate greed, fraud and political corruption to anyone who is a bit different.
Anyone with an even sudo-alternative lifestyle is shat on in this country, anyone who tries to be well read, like nice food or drink, tries to better themselves, or in the case of Brewdog, doesn't speak in the standard soundbyte PR style. I reckon your outrage here is totally misguided.

I love Brewdog's beers, really really love them.

But, I do think they take the whole being different/alternative thing a bit far, to the point where it's pretty obvious that it has become a marketing strategy. It's not better or worse than any other marketing strategy, it just seems a bit silly and pointless. I'll admit I don't know a huge amount about the company, and maybe they genuinely believe everything they say, but to be honest a lot of sounds like it was written by a team of marketing execs.

With that said though, I'd never expect them to pull the kind of shameless stunt diageo did.

_blank_

I hate the self-important, hipster, beer-snob, wankery blurbs on their bottles.

Bigcheeze

Des wrote: »

I hate the self-important, hipster, beer-snob, wankery blurbs on their bottles.

I'll take it over the usual: "we only select the finest hops, barley.....blah...blah......300 years of brewing tradition...blah....blah"

At least they actually say something.

_blank_

Bigcheeze wrote: »

I'll take it over the usual: "we only select the finest hops, barley.....blah...blah......300 years of brewing tradition...blah....blah"

At least they actually say something.

What do they say though?

"Herpy-de-derpy we make beer that's too tasty for yau, yau couldn't even handle it loike, my fake lens glasses and scraggly beard mean I get it"

It's quite cringeworthy.

Yeah, fair enough, they make decent beers, and should advertise it, but they really should dial back on the arrogance. They are becoming a parody of themselves at this stage.

I do think they should make the most of the situation with Diageo, of course, it's a goldmine of potential marketing, but "dumb ass corporate freaks", really?

It's good to see some of the Occupy Dame Street crusty hippies got a job in BrewDog's press release division after they were moved on from their shanty town last month.

the_syco

Des wrote: »

I do think they should make the most of the situation with Diageo, of course, it's a goldmine of potential marketing, but "dumb ass corporate freaks", really?

I wonder do they say this because they believe it, or would it be because they believe their target market would believe it?

BaZmO*

I was always under the impression that, while a bit cringey, the bottle blurbs are tongue in cheek.

_blank_

BaZmO* wrote: »

I was always under the impression that, while a bit cringey, the bottle blurbs are tongue in cheek.

They are, but on more than one occasion different people have taken a bottle from me, read it and handed it back with a comment like "pretentious ****" - those people won't pick up another bottle of BrewDog any time soon.

BeerNut

Des wrote: »

those people won't pick up another bottle of BrewDog any time soon.

I'd bet money James Watt has a report from a marketing consultancy on his desk which says those people in his target demographic are significantly outnumbered by the potential customers who think it's cool and react positively to the brand as a result.

the beer revolu

If I refused to buy beer because of the crapology on the label, I be reduced to drinking only German beer, as far as I can see. I don't take any heed of what brewers put on their bottles - I try to judge what's in the bottle.
Having said that, I also prefer the nonsense that Brewdog put on their bottles to the heritage history nonsense on most bottles-at least BD's labels generally do describe the beer too some degree.
I think their marketing strategy intentionally irritates people-they didn't invent that idea. People love to love something that others hate!
I think the visual image of the bottles is poor, though. I didn't buy one until I'd read about them-I assumed it was just another "me too" American brewery that I hadn't heard of and wasn't too inclined to try. But I really, really like their beer, and admittedly, some of their marketing gimmicks - Sink The Bismark is a class name; Loved the stuffed animals; Sunk IPA is a stupid but brilliant idea; nanny state was inspired; the Abstrakt range are very interesting and the bottles look beautiful; I was gutted that they changed the zeitgeist label - the old one was a work of art.
So, no I don't buy their beer because of their marketing but I'd endure their marketing over most other breweries-theirs often makes me laugh and it infuriates other people-I like that!!!!:D

snowblind

Des wrote: »

They are becoming a parody of themselves at this stage.

Punk becoming a parody of itself you say? Sounds like they might just be one step ahead and the whole thing is just a clever metanarrative.

I mean if you take all of the labels seriously, something is wrong. It's pretty obviously toeing the line of pisstake and playing with conventions of marketing blurbism. Whether they're clever or not, who cares, they're still just labels.

Blisterman

Having spoken to a few of the brewdog guys over the years, they're quite shrewd businessmen, and the labels are mostly facetious. They've got a dual image of being a high quality product, while also being anti-corporate and punk, so they poke fun at how both these things are usually presented. Hence the over the top descriptions of the beers, and the exaggerated anti-corporate speak.