Luxury craftsmanship – the emergent luxury beer market

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the design of experiential marketing strategies within the luxury beer category. Design/methodology/approach The research is exploratory in order to provide a broad, grounded starting point within the context of a changing luxury landscape. Findings Consumer responses to the craft beer consumption experience can be applied to the four dimensions of experiential value as defined by Mathwick et al. (2001): consumer return on investment; perceived excellence value; perceived playfulness; and perceived aesthetic value. Practical implications This analysis suggests that the degree to which a luxury beer brand is able to deliver experiential value will largely determine its market success. Originality/value This paper is the first to study experiential marketing within the context of the luxury beer category.