Prior to working in beer and actively using social media, I was a forensic accountant at a consulting firm and held a designation called a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). To pass that exam, you have to memorize every known financial fraud scheme, how to detect it, and how to prevent it. The training teaches you how to identify red flags on a company’s financials, reports, & analysis, instilling a natural suspicion. This background is how I ended up working in Internal Audit and eventually running that department for Reyes Holdings. I mention this only to provide context to why this topic jumps out at me: Breweries of all sizes are feeling the pressure of 7,000+ competitors, a fatigued consumer base, and increased restraint when it comes to drinking and purchasing habits. As Facebook & Instagram have continued limiting how many followers see a post (~10%), breweries are always seeking out alternative means of getting consumer eyes on their newest products. Enter that dirty word that we love to hate, influencer. ![]() An influencer typically generates content that has the potential to steer their audience’s opinions and purchases. They have a sizable, engaged following who trust their tastes and recommendations. Successful influencers are often some combination of smart, honest, creative, forthcoming, funny, interesting, responsive, and most importantly, genuine. An influencer could be Tomme Arthur, founder of The Lost Abbey, who is willing to make time for the biggest and smallest creators, providing sage advice and honest takes through podcasts, articles, etc. Alternatively, an influencer could be a journalist, photographer, world traveler, comedian, reviewer, or industry personality sharing the beer world through their own vantage point. Proactive breweries have someone reach out to these individuals and offer to send samples in hopes that the beer might make an appearance in their work. It’s pretty harmless from my perspective, which is, “hey, you’re doing something cool that is helping generate interest and/or creativity in beer, can I send you some beers?.” When I’ve provided samples, it’s usually to photographers who do cool shots of the beer, or writers/podcasters whose work I enjoy. If they like it enough to include it in their work, awesome, if not, maybe next time.
Sure enough, over the next few weeks, I saw both of these beers all over my Instagram feed and Explore tab, in some cases from talented individuals whose work I enjoy. That made me a little sad, not because I think they “sold out” or anything like that, but because they don’t value their time, talent, authenticity more than a free beer or a $25 gift card. Writing, photography, editing, and building an audience takes a hell of a lot more time than these offers give credit for. Despite this NOT being a lucrative field, the prospect of being insta-famous and the money, free beer, glassware, tickets, and access that accompanies it has resulted in a vast sea of wannabe influencers. Like authentic versions, the imitators come in all shapes and sizes, each in search of a piece of the action. The time it takes build a strong following by generating meaningful content is too daunting. They look for shortcuts to appear more influential than reality, in hopes of getting noticed by breweries, or agencies working on their behalf. Here’s how they do it: As a consumer, these tactics are pretty easy to ignore or just roll your eyes at. Where I take exception though is when the fraudulent influencers are initiating the conversation with the brewery and looking to form a partnership or sponsorship. These requests tend to include some stats about their account, which are often manipulated. If this happened once, I wouldn’t be writing about it, but it happens all the time. Let's Do Better Here are my takes on how this idea of influencer marketing can be more successful: Breweries
Agencies
Content Creators
It's not influencers we dislike, it's the individuals trying to be called one without putting in the real work. Beer badly needs more voices to rise out of the shadows and continue pushing conversations, education, and interest. There's just so few of them out there. Create something cool, work hard at it, be patient, good things will happen.
Let me know if I can help.✌
14 Comments
Joseph bumb
3/18/2019 05:52:26 pm
This article was a great read. Thanks for putting it out there. Relevant many more platforms beyond beer.
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Jordon
3/18/2019 06:08:55 pm
Thanks Doug for the great article. Couldn’t agree more, and I look forward to more articles.
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Andrew
3/18/2019 07:30:56 pm
Looks delicious, cheers!
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Whiskey Nut
3/19/2019 07:08:00 am
Computer says no!
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Whiskey Nut
3/19/2019 07:03:55 am
I’m old enough to remember record pluggers buying up loads of 7 inch singles in shops to skew the chart positions of hits.
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This same problem exists in a wide variety of industries and most of it can be chalked up to one big problem you point out: the person or agency picking the "influencer" is only looking at the top-line follower numbers, which are super-easy to fake. They also pay waaaay too much attention to Instagram, which is here and gone in a flash, instead of working with real writers and bloggers whose posts will stay up for years and help the brewery's search position as a bonus.
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What an insightful read, thank you! Your list of what we can do better (on all sides) is spot on and something I've been thinking about for awhile. As a content creator and (I guess) influencer trying to just be me, when I see versions of the "fake" you describe out in the wild out-liking & out-following with sub-par content it makes me question what and why I'm here. Rather than see this niche as some sort of money-maker (it ain't) I just treat each post as a creative writing exercise and my "role" in the rigamarole as an ambassador of my local scene. Thanks again,
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Aaron Keefner
3/27/2019 07:41:03 pm
Another really good read, Doug. Thanks so much for sharing!
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4/9/2019 05:47:53 am
What a greThank you.at article you've written! This is useful and well-thought out information with thought-provoking viewpoints and content. The first two sentences encouraged me to read more.
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Steph
7/1/2019 01:21:23 pm
Excellent read. Authenticity goes the distance!
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Kurt Epps—The PubScout
10/31/2019 10:18:56 am
“Successful influencers are often some combination of smart, honest, creative, forthcoming, funny, interesting, responsive, and most importantly, genuine.”
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AuthorDoug is a CPA with a knack for photography, design, and social media. Professionally, he is the CFO & Head of Communications for Revolution Brewing. Opinions are his own. Archives
November 2019
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