Differentiation of Microbrewery Marketing in Finland, Germany and the USA

As the amount of microbreweries have increased drastically this decade, the need for well-implemented microbrewery marketing has increased. In this thesis the marketing of microbreweries in Finland, Germany and the USA are analyzed and different ways of marketing found. The research question of the thesis is “What can a microbrewery do in order to differentiate itself from its competitors in marketing?”. It is concentrating on the above-mentioned problem of marketing differentiation amongst the growing amount of competition. As the alcohol marketing differs between the countries, the differences will be researched. These differences include for example cultural aspects and varying laws. Research is benefiting any microbrewer, who is planning their marketing and differentiation from their competitors. Thesis concentrates around marketing mix model including product, price, place and promotion. Additionally special emphasis is put on social media promotion as in case of microbreweries it plays a big role. Literature research is done using high-quality books and web sources. Books used are mainly written by professional brewers, who have first-hand experience of microbrewing and microbrewery marketing. In addition to literature research, interviews of microbrewers are made and reported. This includes microbrewers in Finland, Germany and the USA. By using gained information, analysis is made about microbrewery marketing. Interviews show that the quality of beer or rare beer styles are seen as a main ways to differentiate with product. Also attractive design is emphasized especially by Germans. When it comes to price, the average price range compared to other microbrewers is seen as an optimal. In the USA, a lot of microbreweries favor taprooms as their main distribution place while Finnish microbreweries are mainly opting for sales at retail stores. Multiple channels are used for promotion but the key is to get the attention of right target group, whether it happens through local newspapers, beer festivals or some other channel. Social media promotion is praised due to its low price and the ability to reach right people effectively