Move Over Lads - This Ale Is For Her

The up and coming generation of young women doesn’t seem to be sitting still for the current state of marketing to women.  Holly recently turned me on to 3iying, the all-female creative agency and think tank that’s built around teenage employees; their series of flip this ad videos is getting lots of attention from the advertising industry.

Now, a 19 year-old Englishwoman by the name of Harriet Easton is taking on the world of alcoholic beverages.  Tired of the way English ale has been traditionally marketed, Harriet has created Harry’s Ale, a brew formulated specifically for women.

"The way real ale is branded is an absolute turn-off for girls at the moment,” Harriet says.  “Imagine any of my friends walking up to a barman and ordering a pint of ‘Old Ruddy Fart’. I wanted to create a beer that epitomises today's new woman: sassy, beautiful and bright. And Harry’s Ale is just that.”

Anyone can come up with the idea of ale for women, but Harriet is passionate about it.  She raised the necessary funds from friends and family to produce the ale, and did in-depth research to come up with the perfect flavor. 

According to the article:

“… she organised an initial meeting with a tasting panel of 20 women aged 18 to 60 plus to find out what flavour would complement what beer style. It became clear the majority of women preferred citrus flavours, and out of those they then chose their favourite citrus flavours - lime and orange - which formed the basis of the new beer.

For the final tasting sessions, varying strengths of orange were sampled to determine which "hit the spot" on the female palate.

Now fully developed, Harry’s Beer is a modest 4.2 per cent alcohol, and described as light and fruity with extracts of orange.”

Harriet is one smart marketer, mainly because of two things.  One, her taste-testing panel included women ages 18-60 – she didn’t limit herself to age demographics.  Two, she branded the ale through flavor, not name.  Believe me, if you’re an ale drinker, you feel much more with it if you step up to the bar and say, “Give me a Harry’s Ale,” than if you were to order something called Pink & Pretty Ale.

Keep your eye on these up-and-comers in the business world.  It’s obvious they will be the catalyst for change in business and advertising, through a do-it-yourself attitude.  And keep your eye out for Harry’s Ale hitting the U.S. in the not-so-distant future.  Something tells me Harriet is not one to limit herself to one side of the globe.

Comments

[Wayne Hastings]

Michele, great post. It makes me think that there's a "Harry's Ale" somewhere for all of us to discover in our own product formats.

[Rachael Smithe]

Harriet Easton, seems like she is one smart marketer. By advertiseing Ale by taste not name. Researching women of different ages 18-60 not limiting herself to age demographics. She's very Knowledgeable and gives much hope to other marketers.

[Holly Buchanan]

women would rather order Harry's Ale than "something called Pink & Pretty Ale."

Darn - there goes that idea. Back to the drawing board.

Holly