Collective beer brand identity: A semiotic analysis of the websites representing small and medium enterprises in the brewing industry of Western PA

This research studies how brand identities, individually and communally, as read through websites are created among small and medium-sized enterprise breweries in western Pennsylvania. Content analysis through the frame of Kress and van Leeuwen was used as the basis for the codebook that reads each brand identity for the researcher. The theoretical perspectives of the Resource Based View of the Firm and the Economic Theory of Collective Action provide the frame for the purpose of this study. First, results of the study demonstrate that each brewery represents an individual brand identity conveyed through narrative elements used on its website and that the majority of these identities are in line with the Craft Brewing Association's Code of Corporate Responsibility. Second, findings indicate that these breweries have dominant traits that create themes that can be read as individual brand identities derived from taxonomies of the narrative elements. Finally, this study shows that communal brand identities are created through a puzzle-like work of communal themes, not a singularly pervasive theme among all community members. The puzzle-like understanding of communal brand identity is a new and critical finding for anyone interested in the economic viability of a regional or communally based business. By sharing and creating a communal brand identity, a message is repeated and developed across a broader set of resources and is therefore economically stronger. This study may be of value for regional marketing and sales firms, consultants, or alliances as it demonstrates that an understanding of communal brand identities can create the opportunity for economic viability for these enterprises.