PR for Punks: Forget strategy and be selfish

Brewdog, the Scottish-based, internationally acclaimed craft brewery, knows one or two things about creating a buzz. However, their “strategy” might give PR purists a bit of a headache. Their “Punk Rock” approach to business means they’ve pretty much torn up the PR rule book and are set on world domination building a business based on their own rules (or lack of the them).

As the brewing company is set to enter the US market, its founders told journalists they aren’t about to change anything about the way they promote their business.

There’s no slick targeting or the creation of marketing personas to guide their PR  and marketing strategy according to Brewdog’s co-founder James Watt.

Watt instead joked that Brewdog targets: “borderline alcoholics with commitment issues” before suggesting that strategies like targeting consumers based on markets or demographics were “outdated”.

Watt said: “Everyone wants to be someone they are not—young people want to be older; old people want to be younger. So you are essentially marketing towards the stereotypical aspirations of a stereotype, and I think that just falls down under the weight of assumptions.”

Instead Watt believes in a more “selfish” approach to promoting his business and said: “We make beers that we love, and we put them out there, and if other people like them, that’s great.”

While Watt might consider this anti-strategy as “selfish” there is little doubting the company’s authenticity, sense or fun and passion – something consumers of craft beers would certainly appreciate (if you believe in outdated stereotypes).

Brewdog’s approach to the US market will follow their already tried and tested approach which was honed as a cash-strapped start-up.

Watt told journalists: “We aren’t planning on doing anything differently with American audiences than what we have done in Britain. The strategy is going to be massively focused on digital and social media with more traditional PR tied into it, as well as untraditional things.”

How the US market reacts to PR stunts like “trans-gender beer” and a using taxidermy in their packaging remains to be seen but one things for sure – they will be keeping their PR punk rock.