In the case of ZX’s investment in RateBeer, founder Joe Tucker noted that data from his site has been available to partners “for a long time,” though “personally identifiable information,” information that can identify a person, is never provided. He didn’t indicate the breadth of rating data that is now available to ZX and AB InBev, but even broad details about user behavior (when/where ratings take place) and preference (what styles are rated) provides great potential for ZX and its parent company to maximize their position within any “beer experience” they so choose.



Imagine the benefit of having access to data from the companies in which ZX has invested beyond RateBeer, from how and what we brew at home (PicoBrew/Northern Brewer), to purchase decisions (Beer Hawk/Empório da Cerveja/Starship Technologies), to our impressions of beer (beHoppy), to how we want to better understand and revel in it (October). Along the entirety of the chain are opportunities to more fully and intimately learn about consumers and choices through e-commerce, retail and online mobile interactions.



This isn’t exactly new corporate behavior. These kinds of decisions are duplicated—sometimes with much greater intrusion on privacy—by companies like Google or Facebook, platforms with which we interact deeply on a daily basis. The targeted investment into the brewing industry is nothing but smart from a practical and business sense.



In 2016, AB InBev revenue was flat in the U.S., among declining sales to wholesalers and a "mid-single digit" decline for Bud Light, the best-selling brand in the country. Meanwhile, AB’s High End brands almost universally saw estimated double-digit percentage growth in production, with Golden Road (+57%), Karbach (+27%), Devils Backbone/Goose Island (+24%), Elysian (+23%), and 10 Barrel (+21%) all above the 20% mark. We’ve long known that interest for fuller-flavored beer has influenced AB InBev’s plans to get into craft beer, but it’s these breweries, along with a growing network of information, that can help shape the future for the company.



A common problem for large breweries—not just AB InBev, but Sierra Nevada, Boston Beer, Stone, and others—is an ability to stay with trends. With massive production scale and nationwide reach, staying ahead of the curve can be particularly tricky, forcing reactionary tactics. But with a treasure trove of drinker data, ZX and AB InBev are taking a proactive step toward fixing this problem.



Moves made by ZX, and what they can offer AB InBev, can take insight and make it action. Pairing the breadth of consumer data with a group of increasingly popular brands from High End breweries means AB InBev doesn't just have a better idea of who we are and what we drink, but in an unprecedented way, the company has found the means to better try and lead the pack. Focus groups are now a quaint relic.



Access to this kind of information provides the kind of quantitative information on which today’s empires can be built. We need only to look at how demographic and lifestyle data has changed politics to see a consequence of this kind of flow of information. In the process, however, people become statistics known by their personal preferences, geographic location and annual income.



“Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse,” Greek writer Sophocles once said. This is our modern burden: the stream of information we spray across digital and financial platforms is now an extension of us. With a little ingenuity, forward-thinking businesses can use that to the ultimate advantage. As a consumer, we are “things” as much as we are “people.” The continued success of ZX doesn’t diminish one over the other, but grows them together, creating a paradigm in which our “beer experience” is catered and clever. The ease of consumption becomes tied to AB InBev’s insight and influence, a network of apps and websites guiding our choices.



Our focus on AB InBev’s occasional moves into craft beer misses the bigger picture. Success is no longer about 12-ounce cans or 16-ounce draft pours or taking over a beer aisle. The future depends on the numbers you create and the story they tell.