"Third Shift" is an interesting study in marketing.
This beer is brewed by a company within a company. MillerCoors created "Band of Brewers" who make "Third-Shift" beer as an attempt to compete in the market with the craft beer movement, which has been gaining momentum over the last decade.
When you look at this beer in the cooler of the beer aisle, it stands out. The label is brown paper with navy blue ink; it doesn't shine like the other "Big Beer" company bottles, and the implicit design to appeal to a select group of blue collar workers is so simple and clear that it is borderline offensive.
At first glance this appears to be a craft beer, but I was suspicious when the label mentioned that it was produced in two states, and when I couldn't find any real information about the "Band of Brewers." What were their names? How did they start their company? The story seemed like empty sentences dreamed up around a marketing brainstorm meeting. The label implies that the "band" works past the day shift into the night to bring us this beer; but if that is truly the case, shouldn't they be able to start sleeping again at night now that their beer has sudden, over-night distribution across the US?
Read more about it here.
This beer is brewed by a company within a company. MillerCoors created "Band of Brewers" who make "Third-Shift" beer as an attempt to compete in the market with the craft beer movement, which has been gaining momentum over the last decade.
When you look at this beer in the cooler of the beer aisle, it stands out. The label is brown paper with navy blue ink; it doesn't shine like the other "Big Beer" company bottles, and the implicit design to appeal to a select group of blue collar workers is so simple and clear that it is borderline offensive.
At first glance this appears to be a craft beer, but I was suspicious when the label mentioned that it was produced in two states, and when I couldn't find any real information about the "Band of Brewers." What were their names? How did they start their company? The story seemed like empty sentences dreamed up around a marketing brainstorm meeting. The label implies that the "band" works past the day shift into the night to bring us this beer; but if that is truly the case, shouldn't they be able to start sleeping again at night now that their beer has sudden, over-night distribution across the US?
Read more about it here.
This is an interesting example of the paradox in which "Big Beer" finds itself. Most small companies striving for success want to appear bigger than they are, and most companies build up their brand and depend on it. Big Beer finds itself in an opposite quandary. With the unexpected turn of public favor shifting against Big Beer, each major company is creating sub-brands and mini companies within the parent company. These smaller "breweries" use the same facilities and infrastructure to market, but they must appear to be struggling start-ups to garner public support.
Who would have thought, fifty years ago, that one day a successful corporation like Coors would have to take steps to mask its own brand in order to sell beer.
Who would have thought, fifty years ago, that one day a successful corporation like Coors would have to take steps to mask its own brand in order to sell beer.
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