Mountain Man Light
Bringing the Brand to Light
Competitive Advantage
Mountain Man Brewery Company (MMBC) at the time the case was written is an 80-year old, regional, family-owned brewery that produced one product: Mountain Man Lager. It is distinctive because it has a core target market of males from the middle to lower income range, aged 45 or older. It only has one product, Mountain Man Lager, versus its competitors which have a variety of options. One of the key features of MMBC is its image, in which it is portrayed as a rugged working man’s beer. The name, “Mountain Man” and the image on the label that depicts a crew of coal miners, calls to mind blue collar laborers laboring long, hard days to earn their keep. MMBC also stands out from the competition because of its quality, dark coloring, alcohol content and it regional status as, “Best Beer in West Virginia”. MMBC promotion is far different than the competition, as it relies on grass roots marketing or word of mouth. Generations of people from West Virginia consumed Mountain Man beer, “My dad drank Mountain Man just like my granddad did, they both felt it was a good a beer as you could get anywhere” (Harvard pg. 3). MMBC competitors relied on lifestyle advertising to reach its target market of young drinkers. Brand awareness is what makes MMBC so successful with its customers, “Mountain Man was as recognizable a brand among working class males in the East Central region as Chevrolet and John Deer” (Harvard pg 2). This loyalty contributed to the strength of the MMBC brand along with quality and an image of rugged toughness.
Market Situation
The most notable problem for MMBC is also one of their strong suits- their devoted core customers. MMBC customers are aging and they desperately need to tap into the new, younger drinkers. First time drinkers represent only 13% of the adult population, but accounted for more than 27% of total beer consumption. This is a market that was not being served by MMBC at all. The 21-27 aged
Competitive Advantage
Mountain Man Brewery Company (MMBC) at the time the case was written is an 80-year old, regional, family-owned brewery that produced one product: Mountain Man Lager. It is distinctive because it has a core target market of males from the middle to lower income range, aged 45 or older. It only has one product, Mountain Man Lager, versus its competitors which have a variety of options. One of the key features of MMBC is its image, in which it is portrayed as a rugged working man’s beer. The name, “Mountain Man” and the image on the label that depicts a crew of coal miners, calls to mind blue collar laborers laboring long, hard days to earn their keep. MMBC also stands out from the competition because of its quality, dark coloring, alcohol content and it regional status as, “Best Beer in West Virginia”. MMBC promotion is far different than the competition, as it relies on grass roots marketing or word of mouth. Generations of people from West Virginia consumed Mountain Man beer, “My dad drank Mountain Man just like my granddad did, they both felt it was a good a beer as you could get anywhere” (Harvard pg. 3). MMBC competitors relied on lifestyle advertising to reach its target market of young drinkers. Brand awareness is what makes MMBC so successful with its customers, “Mountain Man was as recognizable a brand among working class males in the East Central region as Chevrolet and John Deer” (Harvard pg 2). This loyalty contributed to the strength of the MMBC brand along with quality and an image of rugged toughness.
Market Situation
The most notable problem for MMBC is also one of their strong suits- their devoted core customers. MMBC customers are aging and they desperately need to tap into the new, younger drinkers. First time drinkers represent only 13% of the adult population, but accounted for more than 27% of total beer consumption. This is a market that was not being served by MMBC at all. The 21-27 aged