Bad Naming: Pyramid’s Haywire is gone (finally)

When Pyramid Breweries’ new owners made the decision to rebrand about 18 months ago I could not believe what they did. My previous blog from October 2009 (can’t believe it was that long ago) reviews the label so I don’t need to go into the complete lack of understanding of positioning a brew in the market place. The biggest mistake they made at the time was not just the goofy sports labels but the renaming. Their best seller, Pyramid Hefeweizen, had become Haywire Hefewezen. Haywire? What were they thinking? After losing up to 70% of their sales in Southern California I can see why Pyramid did a rapid reverse to the original name after less than two years.

This added descriptive name reflected a trend about 3 years ago when numerous craft brewers thought they’d throw in a “unique descriptive name” for their different well-identified styles of beer. Pyramid created Thunderhead IPA, Red Hook created  Long Hammer, and so on. So lo and behold the market place ended up with not only brands the consumer had to remember AND styles of beer but a uniquely named style of beer by one of the dozens of microbrewers whose names are already hard to remember. Dumb. Branding is simple. It’s a communications medium based on how folks identify, recognize and desire products. The more layers you build into the naming the more you have to promote to the market and push each name so consumers can remember you. Given the confusion already in the market, beer retailers are creating a bigger branding mess while thinking they are being unique.

When we developed the Bison Organic Brewers label we carefully looked at shelf visibility. We say that an iconic, recognizable label needs three things: a clear visual that represents the name – an icon like the bison, the brand name and lastly the style of beer. This is what consumers are cruising for as they cover the shelves. Yes, you can brand seasonal beers with unique names to draw in the consumer, as Sierra Nevada does. It gives a well known brand more shelf visibility and extends the consumer’s willingness to try something out from a trusted brand.

Remember, keep it simple. Keep it clean and folks will know you.