The prairie dogging, as I call it, of the beer industry and pundits therein, to announce that Women Should Be Included. They  pop up once in a while to restate the obvious that they aren’t seeing: women like beer (in so many words) or that the Future is all about women.

Yet….the industry as a whole does little, if anything.

Here’s where I can help.

My book covers a great deal of ground on this very subject: women + beer. It’s the ONLY book and resource of its kind to discuss in-depth research of women’s relationship with beer. It’s a tool & beer marketers dream.

The book all beer pros need.

Research based, chock full of insight and never before published data to help those who really want to court the population of women into beer do it best.

In every chapter you get a list of five – 5! – specific tactical moves, related to the title of the chapter, to successfully market beer to women. More importantly, the entire book, taken together, is a blueprint to proper and accurate conversation with the world’s most meaningful financial powerhouse: women. There’s 10 chapters…you do the math on instant info you get…

What’s laughable about it is that it’s not a new idea: women & beer. Whoever thought and still thinks that women aren’t involved in beer has their head selectively in the ground.

They’ve always been involved. Drinking it, making it and providing it for the family, a safe low alcohol (much lower than modern Western breweries) beverage to drink to stay hydrated.

While I jest that it’s laughable, it’s frankly appalling. I’m a positive person and Every Time A New Article comes out on women & beer, it makes me roll my eyes and slap my forehead.

It’s like announcing that you’ve realized that men like pasta – Wait, WHAT!!?? They do?? Stop – or start – the presses!! Sheer nonsense…..taste buds are not delineated by gender. Period. We all want flavor and to explore and to be respected for our time, attention and business.

Ain’t nothing new about that idea.

Women + beer have been here all along. It’s up to the beer industry to SEE the relationship – then do something about it.

Get the book. Get ahead. Get it right.

A few of the delicious DAGOBA chocolate we featured at the fest sessions.

As promised to my sold out Saturday session and my fabulous Sunday guests, here’s the menu we savored.

Openers, both sessions:

ScharffenBerger Unsweetened and Bittersweet chocolate squares

I hadn’t thought to offer this as a warm up to the pairing menu before; so this year, I did. Wow. What a way to welcome chocolate to the chops! These two in specific are quite astringent and eye-opening. They aren’t designed to be snackers – and they aren’t. It was enlightening to taste them with my guests, to reset and refresh what exactly bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates taste like, to keep their profile in mind when using them in cooking.

Main Menu Saturday:

• Harney & Sons Soho Flavored Black Tea & milk paired with DAGOBA Ginger Lime chocolate (37% cocoa)
• Momokawa Organic Junmai Ginjo Sake paired with DAGOBA White Chocolate Raspberry Mint chocolate (0% cocoa)
• Standing Stone Brewing Company Milk Chocolate Ale paired with DAGOBA Milk chocolate (37% cocoa)

Main Menu Sunday:

• Harney & Sons Soho Flavored Black Tea paired with DAGBOA Lavender Blue chocolate (59% cocoa) and coconut slivers
• Momokawa Organic Junmai Ginjo Sake paired with DAGOBA White Chocolate Raspberry Mint (0% cocoa) & DAGOBA Ginger Lime chocolate (37% cocoa)
• Standing Stone Brewing Company Milk Chocolate Ale paired with DAGOBA Milk chocolate (37% cocoa)

It was the first year there was an alcohol free beverage in the mix. When I went to the DAGOBA showroom in Ashland to secure the chocolates, Jill (showroom manager + most excellent colleague) reminded me they carry plenty of chocolate AND other complementary goodies. As a tea drinker, I bought a tin of this tea, took it home, tried it and decided that it would be in the menu.

Is this a great (crazy) crew, or what!!??

What a fun surprise the final menu is for me, every year. I want to provide guests with unique flavor mixes and ideas. To that end, I believe I was successful.

The guests make the party – thanks to everyone who joined me. Apologies to the folks we turned away on Saturday (100 seats were full before we started!). Please come again next year – earlier, as well you can join us on Sundays. There are sometimes available seats then.

I’ll wrap with BIG THANKS to my venerable and unflagging chocolate partner, DAGOBA. From the first year where, 20 minutes before  my session I was combing the floor, asking people I’d never met before if they’d like me to feature their chocolate, they’ve generously given.

Enjoy tastings and pairings, mixing and matching as you and your taste buds find fun. Props to my crew who helped me taste in advance, helping the winners this year rise to the menu, letting the not-so-hot test pairings quietly disappear.

See you next year ~

• We don’t provide overall brand marketing strategy; we provide marketing strategy and tactics on how to specifically market beer to women.
• We don’t provide SEO or so-called ‘social media’ consulting; we provide specific insight on how to market beer to women with a variety of tools based on almost a decade of data-backed research.
• We don’t provide RFP’s or proposals; we offer specific marketing expertise via a framework within services proven to work for beer businesses who want the very careful and narrow focus of our expertise.
• We don’t offer statistics on women and beer; we provide singular proprietary qualitative data insight only available through our firm. [FYI – stats are empty without qualitative data]

If you’re in the business of beer – not the romance – and want to hire the world’s expert in effectively marketing beer to women, call us.

Buy 5 of our marketing books, get an hour-long Discovery Session FREE ($500 value) to be used by 1.1.18

• Discovery session = sounding board brainstorm to discuss marketing vision, strategy and tactics.
• While the book could seem to be for beer-businesses only, it’s a marketing book overall.
• The Discovery Sessions are for someone like you: fully engaged in your endeavor; the person who understands the value an expert has in helping them think aloud toward greater progress.
• Good for the first 100 books ordered (20 offers).

It’s that simple.

Here’s the book buying link. When you place your order, simply include your direct phone number in the Order Notes; I’ll call you within 48 hours to schedule your time.

T’is the season for marketing.

Connect the dots and find out.

Here’s the episode for you to listen to and share.

Call to book Ginger for speaking engagements in 2018 as well as for media and press inquiries.

…you had the help you needed to increase the happiness level of your life?

…you had the help you needed to increase the profits and success of your business?

…you made minor changes that yielded big results? What if you had the right guide to help you do that?

…you knew who to go to for marketing expertise to be more successful in your endeavors?

…you realized that you’ll either waste time now by not hiring the right expert or you’ll succeed better now hiring the right expert to help you out?

…people really understood that the customer is always first (though not always right)?

…you had access to insight that your competition isn’t aware of or using? What would that mean for you?

…you went with the wisdom of your gut and tuned out everything else?

…you told people what was really going on?

…you had the secret, yet available, information to give you a strong advantage in your work?

…I had the insight, data, perspective and knowledge to help you accomplish your goals?

…you had taken action a year ago? What would life be like now?

…you viewed outside experts as useful team members bolstering your efforts and bottom lines and not as ‘expenses’?

…everyone really understood that it takes a team to make success happen?

…everyone had the courtesy to return phone calls?

…your company was on the cover of INC.?

…you could retain the personality of your brand AND capture entirely new, suitable market share?

…the world really was your oyster of opportunity? And you went after it and made it happen?

…we solved your problems and tackled your challenges and attained your goals together?

…solutions weren’t big and complicated, like others may tell you they are? (they aren’t, by the way)

…I could show you the way to tap into your ideal clients, that no one else knows about or is doing?

…solutions were easier than you thought they could be?

…you stepped into your customer’s shoes for a day – what would your customer experience be then? How would it change your thinking’s and actions?

…everyone understood that marketing is fundamental and not optional?

What would life be like then?

Our ideal clients know that everything is possible.
They recognize that they aren’t in this life – or their business – alone. They realize that the best successes of every sort come when working with others who can share their vision and help them get there. And they clearly see the advantages of the value of collaboration.

• They realize there will always be more money, but never more time.
• They know that if they don’t act now, then they never will.
• They know that life doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
• They know they can call me to help them get where they want to go.

I can help people who understand much more is to be gained by acting now, making the investment of time and resources now – rather than waiting. When you wait, you are in the same if not worse position (or at least spin cycle) of where you were when you originally inquired.
What matters is taking action.

Are you this person?

1. Thanks to PlateOnline, specifically Editor Chandra Ram & Writer Liz Grossman, for slogging through some tech glitches to make it happen and putting forth this article, which I’m very happy with. Since the subject is never part of the final editing, I’m always extra grateful for accurate and well-constructed articles and video. This is one of them. It’ll be one I share often and generously, since I feel very well and accurately represented.
2. Thanks to Jason Spencer, host of Restaurant-Radio for this very fun interview as part of his podcast series. He is a great sport, open-minded and fun – qualities that only encourage me to be more available to people like him. People who are not so entrenched in what they think as they interview; leaving room for growth and mind expanding ideas, even if they aren’t in agreement. Journalism isn’t about agreeing; it’s about accurate reporting and story telling.
3. Thanks to Morgan Child for this well-written piece. I appreciate journalists who are willing to tackle potentially sticky subjects. To me, what I want to read holds a few characteristics: accuracy (or at least it feels a balanced and fact checked), well written (proper grammar and spelling isn’t to be taken fro granted!), and a sense of story and fun. It has to make me think in some way too, recreational and otherwise.
4. Thanks to Tom Franke for starting the connection trail with Jason; Thanks to the CIA at St. Helena CA for providing the opportunity to meet Chandra at a previous event.

Life and business is always what you make it. Learning how to connect, learning which connections are wise and which ones you can let go are highly useful skills to develop.

You have to recognize early in any career and endeavor: when you talk with any media and press (voice, email, text, any platform), they ultimately decide what gets published. Be prepared to be on point, know what you’re going to talk about, regardless of what they ask you and keep bringing it home – all while expressing a genuine appreciation for their time and invitation. If you don’t want to be quoted – or mis-quoted – don’t share something that could be misconstrued.

I often ask the writer for the ability to review the article, where it concerns me, to make sure what I told them, what they recorded I told them, is accurate. I’m not interested in being their editor – I am interested in making sure what I shared got across properly. Many have been very agreeable to this, the ones who also strive for accuracy in their work.

One of the very first interviews I had for WEB was totally messed up; even though I even supplied a fact sheet to the ‘writer.’ I learned from that instance that not all press is good press by a long shot. It’s impossible to get out from under inaccuracies published since retractions and corrections don’t really help the original reader.

One of the fine journalists I’ve been fortunate enough to work with, at Umpqua Brew Fest.

I’d also encourage you to vet media before hand, to see what they’re after and if there’s a fit. I recently turned down and offer to be interviewed for yet another Women In Beer article. At this point of the game and life and the beer scene, I find those articles are counterproductive. They’re not highlighting the right things, in my mind. I called the writer who proposed it and told him what I was up for (to be interviewed for an article that simply highlights people, gender is incidental even if it were to be all women). I called the editor, who has been good to me over the years and with whom I’m friendly, and told her my perspective; and that if she wanted to push a new envelope, getting rid of featuring gender v talent and initiative, I’m in.

Can you imagine an article featuring men in beer? What would the uproar be? Male, by the way, isn’t default. So why not let default mean everyone? The extinction of sexism will happen with the proactive stance of making sure the focus is well balanced and include a variety of people, on the front end with thoughtfulness and intention. It always feels like a consolation prize: Oh you’re a woman in beer, isn’t that novel/unique/different. No, it’s not actually, women have always been involved in beer….I digress, though I think you can see my point.

Media and press isn’t an entitlement, it’s a gift. Treat it as such.

Choose it wisely too. Decide which relationships you want to foster, treat them well and the kindness – and business boost – will usually be reciprocated.

Thanks to the above, and many many more over the years, for their gift of opportunity. My YouTube channel has some more examples; my TED talk is a zenith example.

I’m ready for more. Who’s in need of a lively and educational article right now? Get in touch.

Said another way, how do we look at life if we are looking with a beer lens?

Beer is truly global. If we were to take an earnest look at what and how beer impacts life, we could see several opportunities. Here’s a short list.

1. How can we improve equality, equity and societies with the beer lens? Branding, images and language would be the first arena to tackle: a comprehensive review of all names and labels would be a very productive place to start. Keep the good stuff, ditch with the bad stuff and move onward and forward together.
2. By only using helpful and positive language and images, by changing up questionable graphics and words, by we immediately raise the bar for everyone. It’s also great business: respect resonates with everyone.
3. By shifting our outlook and attitude, even slightly to recognize what is good for all through this minimal and very doable change, would be a big impact all on its own. And for the record: ensuring everyone is invited with smart language and graphics isn’t neutering or even loosing your brand personality – it’s an enhancement of brand when done thoughtfully.

How do you look at life with a beer lens?

The beer lens is an interesting one. Many people who are into beer are fanatics, enthusiasts, geeks, nerds – whatever you want to use. Yes, those are labels – though most seem to proudly sport the title as such to meet and cohort with other beer lovers of the same passion level. It’s usually fun to see since there’s a lot of happy surrounding getting together with others ala beer.

Most people know something about beer. In my research into beer and people (specifically women, though observationally men too) darn near everyone has some level of recognition of beer, however new they are, however experienced they may be. It’s a common idea which we all seems to have our own definition thereof.

I find when people engage in beer, where ever they are literally and figuratively, they seem to come together. we find the common ground, for the good of the whole, which absolutely moves us forward. And in that realm, the beer lens can be used constructively for us all.

Frankly, if brands want to insult and use stupid names, they don’t deserve the bandwidth and attention of any potential customers. I’d question why they were in the business at all. That’s not business – that selective ignorance and blatant stupidity.

Review your brands, language and images regularly. I’d recommend a quarterly review, involving varied staff and customers alike. They both have powerful, useful input brands should be listening to. This can help ensure the invitation to engage for your ideal clients; never turning off or insulting any audience. You can still be you, you can still be strongly and unapologetically your brand in doing so.

Did you know that the #1 reason women drink beer is flavor?

• Not calories.
• Not style.
• Not peer pressure.

Flavor.

Did you know the #2 reason women drink beer is because it was recommended to them by a valued relationship?

• Not calories.
• Not style.
• Not brand.

Relationships.

Do you know the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 10th reason why women drink beer?

If you don’t today’s the day to get the book that will help you answer and act. Buy it now, right here.