Page 20 - BrewDog Case Study
P. 20
Controversies - a marmite brand
From inception BrewDog's provocative marketing has been
a key aspect of its business model and has gained them
substantial international media coverage. As a result, the
company has often run foul, of the regulators and industry
bodies whose criticisms they robustly and enthusiastically
attacked.
2008
The first in BrewDog’s highly publicised controversies came
in 2008 when Britain’s self-regulating alcohol industry
watchdog, the Portman Group, which was formed by the
major drinks companies to promote responsible drinking
and responsible marketing, took umbrage at the language
on the Punk IPA label, specifically, the phrase “an aggressive
beer”. They argued that the word “aggressive” was “more
likely to be seen applying to the drinker, rather than the
drink”. BrewDog was ordered to change the branding of
Punk IPA and two of its other beers, or retailers would be
told to stop selling the offending bottles.
