Beer communication and the question of who it is really for
There is a question the beer industry would do well to ask more often: who, exactly, is it talking to? Not in a purely demographic sense, but in a simpler and more direct one. Who is the person holding that beer? Where are they drinking it? Why did they choose it?
In the 1970s and 1980s, some regional breweries in the Pacific Northwest used campaigns tied to local places and identities. Recognizable landscapes, geographic references, and a very specific sense of place helped build a connection with people who lived there. They were not selling an abstract idea of beer. They were trying to anchor the product in a lived context, something the consumer could recognize as their own. It was also a way of speaking to a real audience rather than to a generic figure designed in a marketing deck.
Today many campaigns from large international groups, often linked to major sporting events, seem to prioritize presentation over a memorable message. Polished spots, famous faces, and elaborate settings can entertain, but they do not always create a clear relationship between product and person. The issue is less technical quality than the ability to answer the basic question: what, exactly, are you trying to say to the person watching?
There is at least one recent case that moves in a different direction. Modelo, a Mexican beer that has become one of the best-selling beers in the United States in some sales measures, often builds its communication around workers and Latino communities, associating the beer with the idea of a reward after work. Its ads show the everyday rhythm of people running a store, working behind a counter, or building something with their hands. The tone is simple, not especially ironic, and easy for the intended audience to recognize. Rather than chasing spectacle, the campaign seems to choose belonging as its register. And that is where its strength lies.
The issue goes beyond advertising
The distance between industrial beer producers and the people who drink their beer is not only a communication problem. It also reflects the difficulty of reading a market that has been changing in structural ways. In Germany, one of Europe’s most established beer markets, the recent contraction has become hard to ignore, while the sector has had to deal with higher costs since the pandemic. Against that backdrop, many breweries are trying to reinforce their local market presence and expand alcohol-free offerings, which are reaching consumers with more varied drinking habits than before.
It is a sensible response, but it also requires more precise communication. Alcohol-free beer cannot be sold with exactly the same language as traditional lager, just as a local craft brand cannot rely on the same levers as an international group. Every product carries a question of identity, and technical brewing skill alone cannot answer it.
That same pragmatic logic also appears in the independent sector in the United States. The Brewers Association, the main representative body for American craft brewers, and the American Cider Association have announced that their respective 2027 events will be held together in San Antonio, Texas. This is not a merger between categories, but a way to share space, interlocutors, and moments of exchange. Craft beer and independent cider remain distinct worlds, yet they face similar operational pressures and can benefit from a common setting for networking.
The question remains open
What connects these examples is the same underlying issue: who is beer speaking to today? The answer can no longer be singular. The market is more fragmented, drinking occasions have multiplied, and the profile of beer drinkers shifts across age, background, habits, and values. Communication aimed at a generic audience can risk speaking to no one in particular.
The businesses that manage to build a concrete bond with a specific community, whether that means a neighbourhood, a region, or a group of consumers with shared references, seem to be moving with more stability. Not necessarily because they make better beer, but because they still know how to answer the opening question clearly. And in beverage, as elsewhere, that is often where things begin.
