Oskar Blues works hard to support WV market

In the increasingly competitive landscape of American craft beer, Oskar Blues Brewery knows it takes hard work to stay relevant. It’s always good to see the brewery out supporting bar promotions in West Virginia.

Along those lines, we recently found John Gartner, Oskar Blues Brewery’s regional manager, busy conversing with customers and handing out logo-branded schwag at the Charleston location of Pie & Pints pizzeria.

Pies & Pints had reserved eight of its taps that evening for a splendid display of Oskar Blues brews. Included were Oskar Blues IPA, Dale’s Pale Ale, Pinner Session IPA, Old Chub on Nitro, Mamma’s Little Yellow Pils, Gubna Imperial IPA, G’Knight Imperial Red IPA, and Ten Fidy Imperial Stout.

Watching the interaction of bar customers with a craft brewery rep, one can easily see how much the customers enjoy the conversation. West Virginians are growing more brew-passionate every day as they gain exposure to more beer brands and more beer styles.

Pies & Pints bartender Casey Litz said the promotion went over very well, keeping her hopping throughout the evening. The stars of the night appeared to be the big, imperial strength beers. Gubna, Ten Fidy, and G’Knight are beers that come in as seasonals, and, when they all appear together, make an impressive showing. Even bartender Litz said those are the one she likes best.

Oskar Blues launched its line in West Virginia in August 2015. Since that time, it has been especially pleased with sales in the Charleston and Morgantown markets, Gartner says. Other sections of the state are moving along for the brand, but have not seen the sales success of Charleston and Morgantown.

Oskar Blues knows brand-building takes work

Gartner does not let the long haul from his home in the Washington, DC, area keep him out of the West Virginia market. It’s a significant time commitment, but he understands the importance of spending time here supporting his brand.

Maybe if you are the local brewery in your town, you can get by without doing sales promotions. But if a brand in distribution wants to be important outside its home territory, marketing support is necessary. Beer distributors typically represent scores of brands and attempt to treat them all fairly, without showing preference for one over another. In that kind of situation, the only way a brewery can gain an advantage in a market is by getting out and working the market itself—committing its own promotional resources and advertising to the brand.  If they don’t do that, it’s foolish to expect superior sales results.

Licensees benefit too

Licensees that conduct brand-specific bar promotions benefit from the extra sales and customer loyalty that such promotions generate. Customers love talking with craft brewery reps. Licensees who invite a brewery sales rep into their establishments for the evening find a very inexpensive way to help their bar, restaurant, or nightclub  stand out from its competitors in a tough market.

With all the craft beer brands entering the West Virginia market and hungry for sales, now is an excellent time for a bar to host a brand promotion. Today, the beer drinker is hungry for more information about craft beer and craft breweries. People like learning about the details of the products they drink. Brewery promotional representatives are a great resource for educational materials and product information, in addition to the keychains, koozies, and other schwag customers so love.