How can it already be the first of December? The year has flown by! And for your craft beverage business, we hope this month will be busy [and profitable] for you with events, private parties, holiday shopping and other foot traffic. Time to finish 2021 on a strong note!

Recently the team at Market Your Craft took a look at some of the promotional ideas that were gaining traction in the craft beverage industry. There are of course the seasonal go-tos like branded ugly sweaters; cold weather gear like hats and scarves; and the occasional elf dog costume. But what stood out to us was an increase in the use of Advent Calendar-style multi-packs, especially by beer brands. The idea: introduce a seasonal 12- or 24-pack of your own styles or a mix of local brands for sale in the tasting room and on-shelf at retail. Sometimes the packaging resembles a traditional Advent Calendar in how the styles are “revealed,” like this example from BrewDog (also available in a non-alcoholic version). It’s a clever tactic for a number of reasons:

1. It can help deplete excess or aging inventory.
2. The sales rep has more to talk about with retail buyers.
3. New product introductions are less risky when paired with proven winners in-pack.
4. Partnering with other local producers helps draw attention to the region.

If you and your team have introduced a seasonal multi-pack already, that’s amazing! We imagine it required months of planning and design to successfully execute. But for those producers who don’t have a seasonal multi-pack in-market currently, there are still plenty of ways to capitalize on the Advent Calendar concept this December!

what’s an advent calendar

Advent Calendars are rooted in religious celebration of the Christmas season, first used by German Lutherans in the 19th century. From Wikipedia, “Advent” is a season observed by most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the birth of Christ and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. And while traditional Advent Calendars feature a manger scene, Saint Nicholas or winter weather, it has been adapted to a variety of themes, from sports to technology and yes, craft beverage.

The idea: a calendar of days leading up to Christmas, typically starting on December 1st. Many calendars use “windows” for each day which, when opened, reveal an image, a poem, a story or a small gift. Craft producers have embraced this concept to introduce seasonal mix packs, using a similar style of daily “reveals” to create micro moments for engaging with their customers. Plus, the packs make an excellent holiday gift for the craft enthusiast on anyone’s list! Thrillist.com has a list of some of the more popular Beer Advent Calendars available this season.

advent calendars without special packaging

A quick search on “Beverage Advent Calendar” on Etsy.com results in hundreds of creative adaptations of the original concept, predominantly holiday-themed bottle displays. This way, customers aren’t married to one particular style or brand of craft beverage for their 12 or 24 days of celebration leading up to Christmas: they can mix and match their favorites. Has your craft beverage business thought about partnering with a local Creator on a branded beverage display? If not this season, definitely something to consider for the future. A 12- or 24- bottle display is not only functional but decorative as well. Plus, you give your team an entirely new content stream to engage your customers by social, email and website, encouraging “stocking up” in prep for the holidays:

• Livestream “reveals” with the production team.
• Tasting and pairing events.
• Cooking with craft beverages, or how to sip and stir.
• Discounts, dollars off, BOGOs and other promotions to help your brand grow share-of-tree 😉

Which leads us to our social Advent Calendar, with 24 days of content to help drive engagement this holiday season. Photo Credit: KustomKraftLaser Beer Advent Calendar on Etsy.com. 

craft beverage advent calendar

Planning content around the holiday can be tough when you don’t want to post the same-old staged photos of glassware and seasonal decorations. Here’s an idea: take the framework of the Advent Calendar to create a robust social and digital calendar for the month! You don’t have to have a seasonal 12- or 24-pack selling at retail to take advantage of the spirit and energy of the holidays. Simply create mini events worth celebrating with your team, either in your tasting room or remotely.

Below are 24 days’ worth of content leading up to Christmas, categorized as follows:

• LIVE: in-person and streamed events worth promoting to your customers.
• REVEAL: something special or unique that builds the same excitement as opening the “window” on the Advent Calendar.
• DEAL: meant to drive traffic and stock up as a last-minute push before the New Year.

Remember: there’s no formula here, just a framework for keeping your audience engaged. Imagine your own LIVE, REVEAL and DEAL content in the calendar below:
 

24 DAYS OF CRAFT BEVERAGE

Sprinkled in there are additional ideas on social content 📆 for timely, topical posts. For even more ideas, download our Guide titled, “Social: Engaging Your Best Customers,” with 60+ content ideas and a step-by-step guide to social media strategy.

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