insights

Going green New compostable six-pack can ring helping change packaging game There cannot be enough said about plastic pollution and the long-term effect it has on our natural ecosystem and food chain. Of late, the environmental concern has become more and more alarming. Help is on the way. Footprint, a leading manufacturer of environmentally friendly packaging solutions, is introducing a plastic-free, fiber-based six-pack ring for beverage cans. The eco-friendly, biodegradable rings are being tested on a selection of Colorado Native beers. The new fiber rings were tested under extreme conditions which exposed them to a high humidity environment for 24 hours before conducting standard transit testing. Made from post-industrial recycled fiber, the rings are 100 percent bio-based, recyclable and compostable in commercial composting facilities. The innovative fiber materials free customers from confusion at the bin, because now, any bin works. Unlike plastic, where if it is incorrectly handled, it can end up as a contaminate.

Your beer, their phone Why going mobile is a good way to reach your customers For the first time ever, consumers will spend more time using their mobile devices than watching TV. And what do a lot of your customers do while taste-testing some of their favorite craft beer? You get the picture. Smartphone use will continue to make up the majority of media consumption, with the average adult slated to spend 3 hours, 43 minutes on their phones, just above the 3 hours, 35 minutes spent watching TV. What does this mean to your craft beer brand? Okay, we'll spell it out. Today's consumer is spending the bulk of their time using apps over web browsers, with the average person spending 2 hours, 57 minutes in apps vs. 26 minutes on a mobile browser. So yes, you better have an app. The report shows that within apps, consumers spend most of their time listening to digital audio, followed by social network activity. Developing an app (think ways customers can track the beers they sampled, share their favorites with friends, etc.) is a good way to continue to build your community on the social side.

For more information, visit footprintus.com.

“You don’t have to drink can, factory made beer. You can drink something that’s truly unique and special through your community. Before prohibition, every town had a brewery. That’s where you got your beer. There was no refrigerated trucks and what not so if you wanted a beer, you went to your local pub.” – Kenny Peden, head brewer at Brick and Forge Brew Works in Abilene, Texas, on why small town brewers are taking their beer seriously

CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING

MAY/JUNE 2019

CBAM-MAG.COM