Dear Client:
After 10 years of doing business, Devils Backbone has found it fit to execute the first comprehensive packaging refresh they’ve ever done.
WHY NOW? Over the past decade, “we’ve introduced new products and new families and have had the opportunity to refine what we’re doing a little bit,” GM Hayes Humphreys tells CBD. But the intros and refinements here and there over ten years, resulted in somewhat of a “disjointed” look of the brewer’s brands on the shelves,” Hayes explains. “So this is the first time we’ve really been able to take it all together and make it look the way we want to on the shelf.”
Indeed, the brewer’s head of marketing, Marisa Black, tells CBD that the ten-year milestone was an opportune time for Devils Backbone “to reign” everything “into one cohesive look.” That way “you can tell all our packs are ours on the shelf,” she says.
SO HOW’D THEY TIE IT ALL TOGETHER? Through their surroundings, the Virginia Heartland and Blue Ridge Mountains. The brewer invited the two design firms working on the new look” Richmond-based Familiar Creatures and Okay Yellow out of Charlottesville”out to their home, a 100-acre plot in Nelson County surrounded by a bowl of Blue Ridge Mountain tops, and they quite literally drew their inspiration from there.
The design shops took pictures of the mountains all around us, Marisa says, then traced those, handed them off to the illustrators and became the inspiration for the die cut on top of the new packs, which you can see down below.
STILL, THE IMAGERY IS FOR ALL OUTDOOR LOVERS. “We definitely wanted imagery that was familiar to anyone who’s from our area,” Hayes says, “but also imagery that kind of captures the essence and was transcendent of the geography.”
“So you don’t have to be in Nelson County to associate and tie yourself emotionally to the imagery on the packaging… If you like to hike, or be out on the water, or spend time outdoors the imagery should be sort of familiar to you.”
15-PACK CANS ON THE WAY TOO. The refreshed look isn’t the only new thing you’ll notice about the brewer’s brands on the shelves. Also rolling out are some new pack formats, like the super-hot 15-pack cans. A big move for Devils Backbone, which holds a “pretty 6-pack bottle heavy portfolio.” Hitting the hot new format first is flagship Vienna Lager and Gold Leaf Lager, a brand that Hayes labels as a “big growth opportunity.” Then around the start of next year, they’ll launch a third brand in the format, Striped Bass Pale Ale. The three new packages are “definitely kind of the first spearhead in trying to shift the mix a little bit towards cans to better align with industry trends,” Hayes says.
ROCKY START TO THE YEAR, BUT THINGS ARE TURNING AROUND. When asked about performance so far in 2018, Hayes tells us that after getting off to a “rocky start” things are “starting to look a lot better.”
“I think at the beginning of the year we were definitely feeling the pinch of the slower market, and being the share leader in Virginia, it hit us pretty hard.”
But now with their new packaging as well as their new core creative campaign” dubbed Slow By Nature, which also plays off the outdoors and the local mentality of slowing things down and doing things right” coming online, Hayes says they can already feel a positive impact.
“We’ve come back over the course of the year,” he says, “and are starting to look a lot better, and see the light at the end of the tunnel, and look to finish the year out strong and charge right into 2019.”
FELIPE SZPIGEL TO BUILD NEW “BEYOND BEER” A-B VENTURE
CBD has learned that Felipe Szpigel, longtime head of A-B’s craft unit, is moving on to head some mysterious new “drinks venture,” most likely in A-B’s “Beyond Beer” realm, which includes brands like Hiball, Teavana and FMBs like Ritas and SpikedSeltzer. Whatever it is, he’ll reportedly build it from the ground up. Word has it he’ll be based in Miami.
His replacement? Marcelo “Mika” Michaelis, who has been region 7 sales VP (including California, Nevada and Arizona) for the last year and a half and with A-B for 16 years. He’ll become president of the Craft Business Unit, effective January 2019.
Recall that A-B’s craft partners got their own stand-alone entity earlier this summer, leaving the “other” High End brands, like Stella and Estrella Jalisco, to get their own specialized focus [see BBD 07-10-2018].
A-B is just relaying this news to employees and wholesalers.
“Our craft portfolio has enjoyed burgeoning success under Felipe’s guidance, and continues to outpace the craft industry. Felipe is now onto his next challenge, and we couldn’t be more proud and supportive of his new dream,” per official statement. There’s also a video from Mika. More as it rolls in.
SCOFFLAW “APPALLED” BY “FALSE” PRESS RELEASE
Scofflaw Brewing was supposed to have a big week last week. They had a big week alright, but for all the wrong reasons.
You see, Scofflaw had traveled across the pond last week to pair up with their buddies from BrewDog and promote the Georgia brewery’s brands in the UK.
But Scofflaw’s UK tour ended before it started, and it’s hard to tell if the brewer and BrewDog are still buddy-buddy.
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? Well, an unconventional press release seemingly coming from Scofflaw was sent out to thousands of UK journalists the night before the tour kicked off, informing them that in the spirit of “redneck hospitality,” Scofflaw would offer free beer to supporters of President Trump at BrewDog bars across the UK.
The release quickly made the rounds on social media, and it wasn’t long before BrewDog pulled the plug on its end of the deal and seemed to distance itself from Scofflaw. “We in no way are aligned with their position and we will of course be cancelling all the events and sending all of the beer back,” wrote BrewDog co-founder James Watt on Twitter.
IT WASN’T US, SAYS SCOFFLAW. Why would Scofflaw do such a thing, knowing it may generate that type of response from BrewDog? They didn’t, Scofflaw says. The brewer has maintained from the get-go that the release was sent out without their “knowledge or approval.”
“This post is absolute nonsense,” Scofflaw owner Matt Shirah said in a release. “While we definitely have country roots, no one at Scofflaw Brewing or those associated with our brand, is now or has ever been, rooted in hate. We do not tolerate hate” that’s just idiotic.”
AD AGENCY TO BLAME. Who was responsible for the release then? Frank PR, says Scofflaw, the UK ad agency they hired to help promote their launch events across the pond. Indeed, Frank PR has since come out and accepted responsibility for the release.
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE? But is Frank PR’s owning up to the release too little too late? It would appear so. We’re not sure where Scofflaw and BrewDog’s relationship stands at the moment, but we haven’t seen them “hug it out” so to speak on social media.
What this fiasco means for their relationship here in the states is another question. Recall Scofflaw struck a one-year “partnership agreement” with BrewDog late last year to brew and can some Scofflaw products at BrewDog’s production facility near Columbus, Ohio. Will that partnership stay intact? Stay tuned.
Until tomorrow,
Jenn, Jordan, and Harry
“About the time we think we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends.” – Herbert Hoover
