All About Beer Magazine has launched a new program to encourage consumers to sample specialty and craft beers. The “BeerTalker Program” delivers to participating beer retailers dozens of four-color shelf talkers that capture review comments from two popular sections of the magazine: Stylistically Speaking and Beer Talk.
“Consumers are looking for help in sampling new beers,” says All About Beer publisher Daniel Bradford. “And retailers, brewers and importers are looking for help guiding the consumers. That’s where we come in.”
Every two months, when a new issue arrives, program participants will receive at least a dozen four-color BeerTalkers, complete with review, beer label and a place for the price. Printed on glossy cardstock, with a scored tab for mounting on a shelf, these consumer-friendly “mini-billboards” help consumers to make new purchasing decisions.
“We know a lot of small breweries can’t afford marketing pieces like these. We also know a lot of consumers are skeptical of supplier-created pieces. We have the track record to deliver honest recommendations and valuable descriptions,” adds All About Beer editor Julie Bradford.
One glance at liquor store shelves proves that the wine industry knows the value of shelf talkers. However, as the number of beer brands and styles has expanded, the beer shelves have been devoid of any consumer-friendly information. BeerTalkers fill that gap.
BeerTalkers are a unique program that introduces the would-be beer buyer to the range of beer styles, the character of a particular beer, and the possibilities of pairing food with beer. With leading beer stores providing this level of information to beer lovers, the specialty beer industry should see increased appreciation for the diversity, complexity and variety of beer.