The craft beer industry is flourishing, naturally that’s eating into the market share of the bigger brewers. Budweiser sales in the US have dropped by more than two thirds since 1988 and the company is losing mindshare and market share amongst 21-27 year olds.

The solution seems to be to change what that customer believes.

All marketing is about inviting or creating change of some sort. We work hard to change behaviour, perception and sentiment. We try to shift expectations, consensus and even cultures. Hundreds of billions of dollars in ad revenue are spent every year trying to change what people believe in the hope of getting them to switch or to act differently.

It’s easier to influence and impact the people who want to listen, than it is to persuade people who don’t to change their beliefs.

Far better to organise your business to create, cultivate and nurture customers of your own—people you can really matter to, than to change the worldview of your competitor’s customers.

Image by Anders Adermark.