Beer Companies Spent Billions To Find This Out

Beer Companies Spent Billions to Find This Out

We all know a beer commercial when we see one. But have you ever wondered why they all seem the same? 

We used the world’s first database of what everyone on earth cares about to see what beer drinkers value.  And if beer companies are getting it right.

 The Valuegraphics Database contains data from a half-million surveys. These surveys are more accurate than you need for a PhD.

The data from these surveys map out fifty-six different human values. These values are the operating system for our lives. 

It's an undisputed fact: what we value determines what we do. So, once you know what someone’s values are, you know how they will behave.  And if you know the shared values of an entire group of people, you know how that group will behave too. 

To find a TV commercial storyline that works, beer companies spent billions. You know how the plot unfolds: a group of friends are having a great time. They are laughing and sometimes dancing. Sports are often central to the experience.  Everyone is good looking, and having the time of their lives. 

Here’s what the data says about why those commercials work.

The Valuegraphics database tells us that beer drinkers are very loyal people.  Put another way, loyalty is a very important value for beer drinkers: it’s a big part of every decision that they make. 

 Beer drinkers are like the rest of us: they appreciate anything that agrees with their view of the world. TV commercials celebrating loyalty confirm that beer and loyalty go together. 

You don’t see a lot of strangers in beer commercials. And it’s clear everyone has been in this place doing whatever they are doing many times before.  Anything new would mean being disloyal to established routines. Beer drinkers are happiest when they know what’s going to happen next and when there are no surprises. 

Beer drinkers share another important value, one that we call belonging. They want to fit in. Looked at this way, those beer commercials aren’t selling beer at all. They are selling reassurance that by drinking this beer you will fit in, and you will belong.  

And there’s one more thing. Our data shows that beer drinkers are more loyal to sports teams than the rest of the population. Which can hardly be a surprise. It turns out that including all those sports in beer commercials is smart. It all adds up to confirm for beer drinkers that the world of this beer brand is about loyalty, friends, and sports. This is the world where they belong.

It took billions of dollars and decades of trial and error, but the beer companies got there. They found a TV commercial formula that works. And the data from our global database of values backs it up. 

Today we can isolate the values of any group of people, for any product, without spending all that time and money. The days of trial and error are over, It came too late for the beer companies, but not too late for everyone else.