The Case for Beer Connoisseurs

Perhaps you've seen it in the news; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. was looking for a chief beer officer for its Four Points Sheraton hotel chain. The Wall Street Journal published the news on Wednesday January 3. As Peter Sanders wrote, "The position is one in a long line of marketing gimmicks and branding promotions rolled out at Starwood in the two years since Chief Executive Steve Heyer arrived from Coca Cola Co."

The chief beer officer is required to have a passion for and knowledge of beer, strong written and verbal skills, and the ability to work part-time without salary. The position apparently comes with plenty of perks. The applications for the job were accepted until January 12. Hotel Chatter published two short entries on that position in November and a couple of weeks ago.

Aside from representing the company at promotional events, leading brewery tours, selecting beers for hotel menus and attending new hotel openings, the positions includes thousands of Starwood Preferred Guest points that can be used for free hotel stays; leading a group to Oktoberfest in Munich; and representing Starwood at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver in October.

More than 7,000 beer lovers from 31 countries applied for the position. Ouch! That's some stiff competition for a job that doesn't pay. You can vote for the winner over the four candidates chosen by Starwood Hotels here.

Interestingly, Juliana at Hotel Chatter writes "Our money is on Four Points hiring a female CBO. The folks over there say that while only 10 percent of the applicants were women, they all managed to score near perfect on the beer knowledge application test."

You might be surprised to learn that among all my connections, the true beer connoisseur is a woman. And that is why Stella Artois crafted this very clever ad that says "Nothing is as valuable as a Stella"; that little round thing in the plate is a diamond ring, by the way.

The Stella Artois brand is inspiring mass-market brewers now aiming for the lucrative high-end beer market, as Brandweek reports. Stella appealed to foodies by hosting Belgian dinners and landing additional mentions in Bon Appétit and Gourmet.

This premium lager beer, as defined in Europe, is wrestling with the same issues all brands that want to be perceived as special encounter: and that is "How do you grow awareness and distribution while maintaining that discovery element?" This is Anthony Giardina talking, InBev's director of field customer marketing for Stella -- doesn't the name just have a ring to it? And she's definitely a blonde.

You might know that the U.S. distribution rights to this elegant brand, and for most of the InBev portfolio, were bought by Anheuser-Busch. This means that when you look longingly at a nice cold glass of Bass Pale Ale, Beck's, Leffe and Hoegaarden, among others, you are looking at a beverage brought to you by A-B. Not a brand I'm used to associating with premium lager. Distributors are already forming dedicated specialty beer teams to handle the red-carpet treatment that hand-selling and sampling of this brand deserves.

The greatest compliment you could ever receive is from a competitor. So Stella is graciously winking to neighbor Netherlands-based rival, Heineken USA, which adopted its model to a degree. CK beat me to the bar with a brilliant One Sexy Brew post on the new Heineken Premium Light presentation, which was tested in four markets followed by a soft launch at select nightclubs and bars to land into the ready arms of national event-driven marketing.

Although beer has not enjoyed the renaissance of wine, it has its dedicated following. In a book on how to envision the future, Future Inc., Eric Garland uses beer as an example to teach you how to analyze data and trends relevant to beer -- reading the industry literature and comparing experts forecasts -- to envision the developments of tomorrow. "Beer consumption among young people, once the core demographic for beer, is dropping precipitously -- market preference for beer among this group dropped from 71% in 1992 to 48% in 2005," Garland writes.

For Garland, globalization is the hope for the future of American brewers, while America seems to be the future of European premium lagers. It's ironic and so true that we continue to find the foreign and exotic more interesting.

In Italy beer doesn't enjoy the popularity earned in many other European countries, but you will find places where they will sell you unimaginable varieties from all over. The better known local brands are Peroni Nastro Azzurro, distributed here by Miller, and Moretti. For research purposes, I had a hard time proving to my computer that I'm of legal age to drink -- I don't look one day older!

Comments

[Richard Dowling]

Excellent article Valeria. The branding of beers has always fascinated me. Lagers especially, don't differ too much in taste, and less when served cold, so brand image and price are everything.

The exotic usually does have more attraction. But some successful ads made previously dull brands into sophisticated drinks--Guinnes for example. At least in the UK market. Don't know how well it does in the US outside of the Irish population in New York.

[David Armano]

Stella is one of my favorite beers. Of course I like the taste, but there is something about getting it served in it's own glass that is very satisfying. Not sure what it is—could be partially the name as you elude to (I did marry a Dutch blonde!). Beer is definitely an emotionally driven product—and it's not just for football games. :)

[Gavin Heaton]

I am with DA ... Stella is one of my personal favourites -- and it certainly comes with a whole experiential frame of reference. Emotional? You bet! But I am even more emotional about missing out on that Chief Beer Officer gig. It's making me cry :(

[Stephen Denny]

With reluctance, I will set aside my current responsibilities and take on the weighty role -- some have greatness thrust upon them, after all -- of CBO. Thank you. As long as I don't have to drive. (I get a driver, don't I?)

Yes, Stella is fabulous and just beats the pants off of Heineken, lite or otherwise. In my opinion. Here's a strong case for just plain good product quality over "marketing" glitz.

[Valeria Maltoni]

So my theory of women being the best beer connoisseurs is now going out the window. I think branding and messaging are good ways to get the word out on a product, yet they are usually no matches for the experience. It seems to me from reading all your comments, that a good brew is more than just a well-crafted story.

Richie -- I had my first Guinness draft in Ireland, now that was an experience... and a meal in itself. I tend to like the less sweet hops so that taste fit with my preference.

DA -- it was Rod Stewart that said blondes are more fun. I'm smiling at the thought of listening to that song in Italy and thinking I was doomed to a dull life. "If We Fall in Love Tonight", as Stewart says, it would be Stella for me as well.

Gavin -- I planned on publishing this post 10 days ago, a little before the deadline expired and I suspect you would have given all those candidates a run for their stories.

Stephen -- marketing is easy for a good brand, which makes me go back to the question of how can we make sure that we focus on making our products and services remarkable first? Wow, another candidate for the CBO. Makes me think of desirable job titles of the future.

[Mark Northern]

Great marketing campaign. Will beer lovers start opting for Four Points Sheraton properties because they have better "beer lists"? Time will tell. Stella's branding is indeed elegant, but I personally admire the ongoing efforts of the folks at Samuel Adams. (Also: Eurolagers and pilsners taste mostly similar to my palate.) They moved from microbrewery to macrobrewery without losing their "cool" factor. That's tough to pull off.

Survey question: Who owns one (or more) of those great Stella Artois glasses? (Besides me.)