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Competitive-Calzone t1_iy892w1 wrote

Reply to comment by Charming_Wulf in Another stellar ad from VisitBaltimore. Just a reminder that the CEO makes $400K a year. by Cepia

It is the only Guinness Brewery in the United States and its 10 min outside of the city... seems like a good way to get people outside of the city to click.

Did you by chance go to their instagram and click the ad? I doubt it. Its an instagram story, a user has 10 seconds to decide if they want to click or not.

"Baltimore was once known as a wet city due to its aversion to Prohibition rules, so it’s safe to say we have no shortage of watering holes. Here, you can enjoy a beer in a converted church or try a cocktail in an award-winning speakeasy. We’re also home to the only stateside Guinness brewery, Open Gate, as well as a host of local craft breweries and distilleries. Whether you’re looking for a place to pregame a Ravens or Orioles game, enjoy a romantic evening or try something experimental, there’s a Baltimore bar for every occasion."

It links to this list https://baltimore.org/what-to-do/craft-breweries-in-baltimore/

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Charming_Wulf t1_iy8bts4 wrote

Oh, I did. And I've been on that Visit Baltimore brewery list page (where do you think I got my initial brewery count estimation?). And from a marketing stand point, I totally understand putting an internationally recognized brand on your promo materials.

However that is a systemic issue and source of complaints about Maryland and Baltimore governments. That Gov't entities will work hard and promote for non-homegrown companies over growing local. Yes Guinness is just outside the city, but Heavy Seas is Maryland born and just down the street. Or why not Union Brewery, which is probably the largest brewery inside city limits.

I'm happy Guinness is in Maryland. But all you need to do is rewind to when the Guinness tap room license exemption became public. The fall out from that really shows how antagonistic the govt is to local grown business. Especially if a lobby is (illogically) fearful of profit impact (distributors).

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Competitive-Calzone t1_iy8cbb4 wrote

>However that is a systemic issue and source of complaints about Maryland and Baltimore governments. That Gov't entities will work hard and promote for non-homegrown companies over growing local. Yes Guinness is just outside the city, but Heavy Seas is Maryland born and just down the street. Or why not Union Brewery, which is probably the largest brewery inside city limits.

Tourists they are trying to attract are not going to want to get this deep into it.

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abcpdo t1_iy8g1gk wrote

That sounds like a chicken and egg problem. If you promote a local thing hard enough it will have good recognition.

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umbligado t1_iy9zt1p wrote

But…..that’s all the webpage does…..promote local breweries. You have to scroll by 10 locals before you even see Guinness.

Often the biggest issue with churning out this kind of content is quickly getting available acceptable to use images (either licensed, approved, or public domain). Guinness was going to be the quickest and easiest option. That’s just how things shake out sometimes.

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TitsMageesVacation t1_iya98lt wrote

Businesses are not automatically members of Visit Baltimore, you have to pay dues. There's a sliding scale based on the size/volume of your business. Visit Baltimore will in turn occasionally utilize your services or products, and include you in advertising. If Union or Heavy Seas pays dues (which are far smaller than the dues that Guinness would be charged) they can be featured in advertising.

It's not political or some systemic plot, it's just business.

And my lord, that ad is embarassing. Even with my meager photoshop skills I can drop a background out.

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