The CBMAS, home of the ‘Crushies,’ is the brewing industry’s litmus test for the absolute best in beer-related marketing across the world.
In the first part of this two-part blog, revisit with us the life-changing journey we took not only to relaunch the brand, but prove ourselves in the process towards raising the coveted CBMA Crushie awards.
As the moth of Engkanto first took flight in 2017, it carried on its wings a totally unique story to tell about craft beer. It flew in as a defiant being amid a swath of drinkers in the Philippines underserved by giant beverage conglomerates.
Among the few who already understood the essence of craft, Engkanto quickly gained loyalty and traction. On the other end, a greater number of locals saw an intimidating, puzzling, and mysterious entity. The message the moth needed to deliver about beer became muddled and left a huge gap in the market.
This triggered a need to position Engkanto closer to the people who deserve to experience all-natural craft beers. And at the right moment, a handpicked marketing team came together to take on the overarching task of giving new life to the brand. It was a tall order, and so the strongest team possible composed of caring, committed, hardworking humans was assembled.
Topmost on the team's priorities is to answer a direct question: “What does Engkanto have as a brand that these commercial names don't have?”
An answer that emerged was the group’s character that embody the passion of giving locals an option of better-quality beers, beyond the sole motivation of taking home a salary. The collective response echoed the vision of Ian Paradies, founder of Engkanto Brewery, and why he started this craft beer adventure.
After a deep, introspective look, the team was ready to embark on their journey that would redefine the brand and test themselves in the process.
“We all know craft beers are originally from the United States, so it was strategic to reach out and work with a team from where it all began,” says Charlene Limbo, Brand Manager of Engkanto.
“We greatly considered the possibilities of working with local creative agencies, and we know their skills are up to par, but the country by and large is still new to craft beers, so we thought they won’t get the essence of craft as much as we want it to be. It was a big move that we decided to choose to work with Creature Theory based in the US that really knows the craft scene as opposed to a group that's only starting to get an idea or an inspiration.”
After the selection process was decided, the team moved forward with the trusted hands of Creature Theory led by Matt Ebbing on the wings. He and his team became the instrumental guide throughout the brand’s transformation. And right from the onset, Matt saw two remarkable characteristics to anchor on: the hardworking people behind Engkanto and the immense value put on the quality of the craft beers.
“We Filipinos can and will excel at anything, and the quality of our beers has shown that along with the processes outside the brewery that we continue to improve,” explains Marizze Madeo, Digital Marketing Manager of Engkanto. “Even our laboratory constantly upgrades with new equipment. These show our level of passion and commitment, and it didn’t take long for Creature Theory to notice.”
With the discovery of the cornerstone, a desire to connect the values of Engkanto to a community that deserves better beers has emerged. Although the current brand has had collaborations before with chefs, DJs, and other like-minded companies, stronger content pillars were put in place to get across the message of who Engkanto really is—a group of caring and hardworking people who don’t compromise the quality of their work.
Then, like a lightning bolt, the essence of Engkanto was worded in a eureka moment: We didn't set out to be different. We set out to be ourselves, and that turned out to be different.
“We're not trying to compete with commercial brands nor trying to change things,” explains Marizze. “We at Engkanto want to help people understand and realize that there are better choices, and we're the ones giving them better options in terms of high-quality beers.”
On the brewery side, Michael ‘MJ’ Jordan, Brewmaster of Engkanto, wanted to shake things up from the original core variants of five beers down to four, in addition to the use of local ingredients found in the Philippines, and a more approachable alcohol levels of the new lineup. Parallel to this is the marketing team’s initiative to build the distinct characters of the beers, and an unmistakable new logo that will become a beacon of energy and passion of Filipinos and the craft beer market.
In the continuation of this two-part blog, we’re revealing the creative processes in naming new craft beers, designing the labels, and considering a pivotal name change for Engkanto itself.