BrewDog to become the Netflix of food and drinks?
In terms of marketing the Scottish punk brewer BrewDog is bested by none. It is the only one to date who has successfully managed to turn crowdfunding into a world-wide advertising campaign. Selling a 22 percent stake to a private equity firm for about USD 120 million in 2017 may have been triggered by financial constraints but it gave BrewDog the cash to follow Red Bull’s example and set up its own media group.
A decade ago Red Bull’s Austrian co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz launched his own media group, including a publishing house and a TV channel, to report on the company’s various sports sponsoring activities. The tactic is simple: Red Bull engages in sports activities so that it can market them, thus raising the beverage’s global profile.
Though more modest in size BrewDog’s intention is similar. Its new video-on-demand subscription service will be screening a mix of original content and acquired shows revolving around food and beverages to audiences in the US and Europe.
As was reported, the BrewDog Network, launched in September 2018, will be available both online and via an app. Subscription costs USD 4.99 a month (Netflix charges a minimum of USD 7.80 in the UK) and will include 14 original series such as comedy game show “Are You Smarter Than A Drunk Person” and drinks culture programme “Four Sheets”.
The network will also bring back “The BrewDog Show”, a travel series with founders James Watt and Martin Dickie, replacing “Brew Dogs”, a hilarious programme that ran on the now-defunct Esquire Network. Meanwhile, “Business Punks” will feature Mr Watt interviewing company founders.
Acquired series include “Brown Bag Wine Tasting”, where actor William Shatner (who played Captain James T. Kirk in the TV series “Star Trek”) interviews stars over a bottle of wine disguised by a paper bag, and the Australian food and travel show “Surfing the Menu”.
Never timid, BrewDog is already comparing itself to the streaming giants. “Just as Netflix has pioneered mainstream streaming services, The BrewDog Network will be the first globally-recognised, passion-focused platform. We believe craft beer can be the inspiration for the most popular content on the internet,” Mr Watt said in an online statement.
BrewDog was founded in Scotland in 2007 and opened its US brewery in Columbus, Ohio, in 2017. It is currently building a brewery in Brisbane, Australia.
