With craft beer and cider brands recognised for bold, innovative design, the Portman Group has hosted a free event to help independent brewers ensure their marketing is both creative and compliant with the industry codes of practice.
The British Beer and Pub Association and Advertising Standards Authority joined forces with the Portman Group at Meantime Brewery to give brewers a thorough overview of the marketing and advertising rules. They were joined by Nick Dwyer, creative director at Beavertown Brewery, who gave an insight into the development of their Gamma Ray labels and his experience of working with the Portman Group’s free and confidential Code Advice Service. Meantime Brewing who hosted the event talked about the growth of their brand and business.
Some of the insights shared were:
- How to make absolutely clear on labels that a product is alcoholic.
- How to use bright colours, illustrations and humour in a way that appeals to adults and not children.
- How to promote alcohol on social media without falling foul of the Code on promotion and direct marketing (CAP Code).
Following the talks, the brewers were given a tour of the Meantime brewery in North Greenwich. After the event, brewers told us how insightful they had found it. On Twitter, Hop Stuff Brewery, who are based in Woolwich, said: “Thanks for some great advice on branding, labelling & social media guidelines. Our marketing team loved attending! Can’t wait for the next one.”
John Timothy, CEO of the Portman Group, commented: “Marketing rules aren’t there to stifle innovation but to protect vulnerable consumers and drive up standards. If in doubt we are here to offer free and fast advice on any packaging and labelling queries and make sure any potential issues are sorted before the product reaches the shelf. We understand the constraints on time and resources for many small brewers which is why we’ll be holding similar events in the future.”
The Portman Group has also produced a video outlining what advice and training is on hand to independent brewers which can be viewed here.