How can the Beer Style filter, Beer Style Levels parameter, and Beer Style Level filter be used to explore competitive brands by style?
Most dashboards in the CMA have three different style controls: BEER STYLE filter, BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter, and BEER STYLE LEVEL VALUE filter:
Let's begin with the BEER STYLE filter. “Beer Style” is Circana’s original breakout of style classifications. It places all IPA’s into single bucket, all Stouts into a single bucket, etc. So, if you just want to include all types of IPA in your query, the BEER STYLE filter is all you need.
The BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter and the BEER STYLE LEVEL VALUE filter are intertwined in the sense that the filter "listens" to the parameter. Depending on which level of style you choose in the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter (Micro Style, Beer Style, Macro Style, or Mezzo Style), the list in the BEER STYLE LEVEL VALUE filter will change to reflect that particular breakout of style. In other words, the parameter is used to select which granularity of style you'd like to see displayed in the BEER STYLE LEVEL VALUE filter. For most queries, Beer Style and Micro Style will likely be all you'll ever need, since they are the most granular breakouts of style:
So, if you wish to narrow your search to include only brands which are coded as a specific type of IPA, such as Hazy IPAs, you'll need to use the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter and BEER STYLE LEVEL filter. By switching the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter from "Beer Style" to “Micro Style”, you will change the list in the BEER STYLE LEVEL filter to display a list of Micro Styles. “Micro Style” is a different, more granular level of style, which goes a step further and breaks IPA out into “American IPA”, “New England or Hazy IPA”, “Imperial IPA”, etc.
In dashboards like the Rankers and Sales per Point vs CWD, which are used to compare your brands with competitors' brands, queries by Micro Style enable you to cut out all the extra noise and focus purely on those brands which are direct competitors. To include only brands which fall into a particular Micro Style (e.g., American IPA, New England or Hazy IPA, Imperial IPA), there are two approaches:
1. Direct Approach
- Leave everything in the BEER STYLE filter selected (filtering no Beer Styles out) and begin your Micro Style quest by switching the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter to Micro Style, as described above.
- Since the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter and the BEER STYLE LEVEL filter are intertwined, use the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter to choose which level of style you’d like to explore with, which changes the list in the BEER STYLE LEVEL filter to show a complete breakout of styles for whichever level we’ve selected (e.g., Micro Style).
- By selecting “Micro Style” in the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter, you can then use the BEER STYLE LEVEL filter to select any number of Micro Styles for your query. This way, you can select one or more Micro Styles from a list of all Circana Micro Styles to include all of the brands/SKUS which could be competitive with your own brand/SKU.
2. Cross Examination Approach
- First, use the BEER STYLE filter to select a single Beer Style (the Beer Style of the brand/SKU which you’re exploring, e.g., “IPA”).
- Then, select “Micro Style” in the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter. This will change the list in the BEER STYLE LEVEL filter to show only the sub-styles (a.k.a. “Micro Styles”) for whichever “Beer Style” you’ve selected in the BEER STYLE filter. So, if you selected “IPA” in the BEER STYLE filter, and you select “Micro Style” in the BEER STYLE LEVELS parameter, the list of Micro Styles in the BEER STYLE LEVEL filter will automatically be pared down to show only Micro Styles of IPA. Now, you can choose any number of IPA Micro Styles which you feel should be included in your search and exclude any that you don't feel would be competitive with your brand.
- Lastly, if your BRAND LEVELS parameter is set to "SKU", and you want to compare your “American IPA” 6pk of 12oz cans to other American IPA 6pks and cut out other package sizes from your query, it is recommended that you first use the PACKAGE SIZE GROUP filter to select only "5-6pk 11-13oz". Then, use either of the approaches described above to select "American IPA" as the chosen Micro Style.