The Marketing Millennials

284 - Disrupting Influencer Marketing, with James Watt, Founder of Brewdog

Oct 18, 2024

In this session, James Watt, the innovative founder of BrewDog, dives into the unconventional marketing tactics that propelled his craft beer to cult status. He discusses the revolutionary 'Equity for Punks' initiative that captivated customers, turning them into brand advocates. Community engagement emerges as a key theme, showcasing how BrewDog harnesses customer loyalty to amplify its message. Watt also shares secrets on leveraging social media as a modern search engine and the power of happy customers as authentic influencers in marketing.

44:56

Episode guests

James Watt

AI Summary

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Unconventional marketing strategies like entering supermarket competitions and creative financing were vital for BrewDog's initial growth and visibility.

The Equity for Punks initiative transformed customer relationships by allowing fans to invest in the company, fostering loyalty and advocacy.

Deep dives

Empowering Everyday People

The goal is to shift power and financial rewards back to everyday individuals who often feel like pawns in a larger marketing scheme. By leveraging their data and purchasing behavior, companies can enable these individuals to create authentic content that benefits both the brand and the customer. This democratization of influence aims to make everyone an influencer in their own right, regardless of their follower count. Ultimately, this initiative seeks to recognize and harness the impact ordinary customers can have in the marketing landscape.

Intro

2min

From Fishing to Brewing: A Journey of Innovation

19min

Harnessing Authenticity in Influencer Marketing

2min

Empowering Customers as Influencers

12min

The Evolution of Recommendations: Social Media as a Search Engine

2min

The Power of Community in Marketing

5min

Closing Insights and Resources for Marketers

2min

It’s the UK’s best selling craft beer, it’s sold worldwide, it has a CULT-LIKE following, it’s BrewDog.

And today I sat down with it’s Founder, James Watt. Grassroot strategies to build a loyal customer base, raw Marketing tactics, and the innovation behind their growth, we TALKED ABOUT IT ALL.

I love taking a peek inside the hood of massive brands, and that’s exactly what this episode is about.

Let’s get into it, shall we?

As we near the end of 2024, it’s time to push your Marketing efforts into high gear. With impact.com, you can drive more revenue through affiliate partnerships, scale your reach with influencer Marketing, and boost customer referrals. Whether you're making the final sales push or planning for next year, impact.com has the tools to help you finish the year strong. Visit impact.com/millenial and take your marketing to the next level!

02:26 Unconventional Marketing Tactics

08:25 Equity for Punks: A Revolutionary Idea

13:03 The Power of Community Engagement

19:19 Turning Customers into Influencers

20:42 Maximizing Marketing Budgets with Social Tech

25:23 Incentivizing Organic Content

38:40 Onboarding Partners Effectively

Follow James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-watt-21a5a912b/?originalSubdomain=uk

Follow Daniel:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@themarketingmillennials/featured

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Dmurr68

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-murray-marketing