A few weeks ago my husband took me to Wisconsin, home of his Green Bay Packers, cheese curds, and a beer called Spotted Cow.
We don’t have Spotted Cow in Atlanta, because nobody sells it outside Wisconsin. In this day and age, that’s downright weird for a trendy brew.
New Glarus Brewing, the company behind Spotted Cow, didn’t just focus on great beer. It kept that beer exclusive to Wisconsin.
That decision made the brand iconic, and New Glarus has become one of America’s largest craft breweries.
The power of saying no
Too many brands running around looking for what to say yes to next. New Glarus included. They used to sell beer in Illinois. They were on the path to expand all over. But in 2003, the brewery pulled out.
The winners write the history. And here is theirs. Demand in Wisconsin was growing faster than the company could supply it. Rather than expanding production to serve more markets, New Glarus decided to concentrate on its home state.
Most companies would consider that a retreat. Instead it was the thing that put them on the map.
And the results speak for themselves. The brewery became one of the largest craft brewers in America while selling its beer in only one state.
Positioning requires sacrifice. You can’t own a position in the mind if you try to be everything to everybody.
However, companies don’t usually start this way. Most brands start focused, the problem comes after the first taste of success. They can’t help but to think what else they can get into. More products, more categories, more markets.
Staying focused and expanding globally is one of the biggest opportunties for brands in the 21st Century. But it isn’t the only one. Doing exactly the opposite is just as effective. Staying local and owning your city, state or country.
You don’t have to say no to everything, just one thing. Still hard to do, nobody said marketing would be easy.
Why Wisconsin matters more than the beer
Spotted Cow is technically a farmhouse ale. Sounds nice, but there are so many craft beers. The challenge is how to be different and own a position in the mind.
Spotted Cow = Wisconsin.
National beer brands compete on taste, price, advertising, and distribution. Spotted Cow has something they don’t have. A state it can call its own.
The cow is a powerful Visual Hammer
Most craft beer brands have names that are clever, complicated, or downright strange. Spotted Cow is none of those things.
It’s simple, memorable, and comes with a built-in visual. Finding a brand name that instantly gives you the Visual Hammer makes branding so much easier.
The story is good too. The idea actually came from England. Deb Carey, who founded New Glarus Brewing with her husband Dan, was traveling in England when she noticed all the sheep. She realized that visitors to Wisconsin probably noticed all the cows in much the same way.
That observation became the name and visual identity for Spotted Cow.
A Visual Hammer drives your verbal idea into the mind. Spotted Cow’s verbal idea is Wisconsin. And nothing communicates Wisconsin better than cows, except maybe cheese.
The strategic enemy is availability
In my book The Strategic Enemy, I argue that brands become stronger when they position themselves against something.
For Spotted Cow, the enemy isn’t Bud Light, Miller Lite, or another craft beer.
The enemy is availability of all the other brands.
If you want Spotted Cow, you have to go to Wisconsin. The restriction isn’t a weakness. It’s part of the appeal.
People visiting Wisconsin bring cases home. They give bottles to friends. They talk about the beer because it isn’t available where they live.
Spotted Cow has turned its limited distribution into a brand worth fighting for.
Need help finding your enemy and the courage to say no? Ring up the Positioning Hotline at Ries.com.
