The Swedish beer market is in a time of change. In 2009 there were 32 different breweries in Sweden, in 2014 the amount increased to 138. With this in mind, the beer market in Sweden is interesting to study from a strategic marketing perspective. Considering Swedish alcohol law, with a restrictive attitude to alcohol marketing, the challenge of marketing becomes even greater within this market. As a result, brands become more important.
We are investigating the importance of brands using Spendrups, the large brewery, Sigtuna Brygghus, the big among small, Adelsö Bryggeri, the small microbrewery, and Sundbyberg Köksbryggeri, the newcomer. The research question is as follows:
- What significance does brands have for a brewery’s market strategy, given its size?
This is investigated with a qualitative approach. We examine each brewery's attitude of brands in general as a concept, the attitude and approach to the market and ultimately their company’s own brand. This will be linked together with a model to highlight the impact of brands within this market.
We find that the significance of brands varies with the size of the brewery. For a large producer, the brand is primarily a strategic tool for positioning. However, for small breweries the brand tends to lean on identification and recognition of the product. Our biggest contribution is findings considering the term "Microbrewery/Craft brewery". This label is in some ways acting as a brand in itself which creates added value for companies.
We are investigating the importance of brands using Spendrups, the large brewery, Sigtuna Brygghus, the big among small, Adelsö Bryggeri, the small microbrewery, and Sundbyberg Köksbryggeri, the newcomer. The research question is as follows:
- What significance does brands have for a brewery’s market strategy, given its size?
This is investigated with a qualitative approach. We examine each brewery's attitude of brands in general as a concept, the attitude and approach to the market and ultimately their company’s own brand. This will be linked together with a model to highlight the impact of brands within this market.
We find that the significance of brands varies with the size of the brewery. For a large producer, the brand is primarily a strategic tool for positioning. However, for small breweries the brand tends to lean on identification and recognition of the product. Our biggest contribution is findings considering the term "Microbrewery/Craft brewery". This label is in some ways acting as a brand in itself which creates added value for companies.