Old schools and new tools

The Oregon Brewers Festival serves the world's oldest beverage, beer. That's old school. Promoting the festival and serving the interests of the brewers that make it possible relies on traditional communication channels from word-of-mouth to printed display advertising. The festival waded into the rising waters of new media and social networking with Facebook and Twitter. Now, the advertising initiative is putting its toe in the same waters.

For more than 20 years, festival guests have carried and used the Program Guide to learn more about craft beer and more about the craft beer being poured at the festival. Breweries, pubs, bottle shops and more have reached that audience with display advertising. Thank you, advertisers.

The festival wants to do more. More for advertisers, more for guests and more for the craft beer community. But, we need your help. We need to know what "new tools"--Facebook, web advertising, blogging links--craft brewing marketers want and need to reach their audience. And, what makes the most difference to the audience they reach.

Comment here and make suggestions about those things that will make a difference for craft brew audiences whether you are marketing to them or are one of them, or both.