𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶 𝗼r 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶: The Marketing Power of Experience 🍇🍺

Kellerei or Brauerei: The Marketing Power of Experience 🍇🍺

True wine and beer lovers have their preferences — but most of us float somewhere in between. Read on 👇

We like to think we know what we’re talking about, but in the end, taste remains subjective. Still, I see a striking difference in marketing approach. While breweries win the hearts of the masses, wineries often focus on a more exclusive experience.

🍺 Breweries, especially smaller ones, know exactly how to engage a broad audience.
✔️ A visit to a brewery like Stiegl, Forst, or Gulpener is a pleasant, sensory experience. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the scent of barley and hops fills the air, and tasting or buying a locally brewed beer feels authentic. It radiates craftsmanship and creates a sense of community.

🍇 Wineries, on the other hand, often focus on architecture, grandeur, and high-end wines. The environment can sometimes feel sterile, and the threshold to enter seems higher.

It’s a completely different positioning: authority derived from exclusivity and elegance, whereas beer has traditionally been seen as the drink of the “common man.” 🤷‍♂️

This observation about marketing and positioning applies directly to my own field as well.
You can only truly position your product successfully with the end user if you simultaneously strengthen your authority with the client or specifier.

In 2009, we opened a 1950s-style training center, transforming Hertalan’s image from a small production line in Kampen into an established market authority. From that point on, we no longer had to explain who we were — the focus could shift entirely to delivering top-quality products, service, and solutions.

The marketing approach of breweries perfectly illustrates how crucial it is to build a brand that radiates authority while remaining approachable and authentic.
If you fail to do so, you become just one of many — forced to compete on price and, ultimately, risk losing your relevance.