20 Takeaways from Celebrity Beverage Endorsements

Why do actors like George Clooney and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson have their own tequilas? Perhaps they love a brand and want to help it get to the next level. Or they respect the producer and believe in their story. Or maybe they just want something tasty to share with their friends at parties.

Whatever their motivation, it's currently en vogue for celebrities to endorse or invest in beverage brands. And why not? Just add a little star power, share with followers and BAM! they're sold for a cool Billion to a publicly-traded drinks giant.

But what if you're not [yet] lucky enough to have Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila riding into the sunset without clothing in an ad for your brand? Or Ryan Reynolds promoting your liquid in one of his famously funny satires of modern drinking culture? How can you compete?

Here's a hint: starting thinking like an A-Lister!

We look at 20 celebrity-craft beverage pairings to identify promotional tactics of the rich and famous, including:

-Designing a content strategy

-Planning highly-visible sampling events

-Negotiating product placements

-Engaging your social channels

-Managing public relations and community give-back

Building awareness and sales for your craft beer business doesn't require celebrity endorsement or paid influencer socials. Our goal is for brewery owners and managers to get the marketing fundamentals right, then steal the red-carpet tactics to propel your brand forward. Presentation attendees have access to "The Red-Carpet Effect" Guide, with techniques to keep fans engaged and proven tools to fuel excitement around your unique story.'

We started Market Your Craft to help small-to-mid-sized producers quickly adapt to the changing Marketing landscape with storytelling. Because we believe every craft brand has an exciting story to share. Led by Scott Kolbe, we're a team of dreamers and doers, passionate about all things beverage with the creds to match. We've created a series of Workshops and Guides to help define your brand story and inform your Marketing efforts. To learn more or to schedule a session with one of our storytelling experts, visit marketyourcraft.com.

Huge thanks to ABS Commercial, Beer Law Center, and Wipfli for all your support on our Spring Virtual Conference.