Looking back
to go forward
Invigorating a drink’s image, presenting it in
a different way, and adapting its story to target
a new kind of consumer are now crucial when
it comes to driving a brand forward. Look at how
gin has exploded over the last few years: thanks
to a renewed focus on the spirit – down in part
to the emergence of new heritage-based brands
with forward-thinking attitudes – this once-dated
drink is now at the forefront of the alcohol
market, a staple spirit on any cocktail list worth
its margarita salt, and not showing any signs of
diminishing in popularity whatsoever.
Free spirits
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out
that this new kind of consumer will respond
best to new methods of communication
– the challenge is cracking the content
question: how do you promote an old product
to a new market? The starting point is to look
at the drinking habitsof a new audience.
Let's look at Hennessy. It's a brand with over
250 years of tradition, historically associated
with luxury and prestige. Today, the dated
image of mature men in suits is giving way
to a more dynamic view of a younger crowd
enjoying light and fruity cognac-based
cocktails in cool bars across London. It’s made
the transition from a serious spirit served neat
to a key cocktail ingredient at the trendiest
venues – a go-to for its flexible nature as much
as its storied history.
Based on this trend, new low-percentage
and alcohol-free brands are appearing
on the market. Californian brand Haus
is advertised as "lighter than beer, easier
to understand than wine – and way less
sugary than those European liqueurs".
It’s a new spin on hard liquor, and brings
the fusty image of dark spirits up to date for
a new consumer. Celtic Soul from the Pernod
Ricard portfolio is another alcohol-free dark
spirit, while the Strykk brand, founded by
Funkin Cocktails founder Alex Carlton, features
Strykk Not Gin – a botanical blend that’s
alcohol free. This shift to ‘clean drinking’
is one that brands cannot afford to ignore.
Thinking outside the box - or bottle - can be the
difference between a brand staying where it is
or surging forward and entering new markets.
To find out more about how to attract new
consumers to your brand, please contact us
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Craft beer, too, has exploded – again, it’s the
case of an age-old drink repackaged for a new
generation, a generation that wants a back
story, but wants it in a contemporary way.
The overriding message from these lighter,
more refreshing serves is that there is
nothing positive in intoxication – there’s
now an overwhelming focus on wellbeing
and wiser drinking.
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lifetime
Global players such as the Italian Campari
Group, UK-based Diageo and French Pernod
Ricard are also looking for ways to refresh
the image of their strong brands. Light aperitifs
– of which Aperol Spritz is probably the most
popular – have become an ideal way to reach
a new market. Indeed, Aperol-branded orange
cups and sun umbrellas are now pretty much
a summer staple in pub gardens. You can even
get sunglasses to match. When you consider
that just a few years ago this was a relatively
unheard-of drink in the UK, that’s a marketing
masterstroke.
Habit of a lifetime
The beer industry, too, has evolved to target
a new consumer, with craft brews pretty
much leading the way when it comes to
go-to beers for a younger generation.
The image of aromatic IPAs or refreshing
weizen beers being the sole domain of old-
school CAMRA members has been well and
truly cast aside – nowadays inventive beers
are brewed by hipster kids under arches
in Peckham, millennials cram into tap rooms
in Hackney, and if you don’t know your saison
from your stout, well, you can’t come in.
Crafty ideas
In short, it’s a sector of the alcohol industry
that’s been wholeheartedly adopted by the
millennial market and, unsurprisingly, a surge
in demand for low-alcohol and non-alcoholic
beers has followed, from the likes of Big Drop
Brewing Co, which only produces 0.5% brews,
and Peroni Libera 0, 0% from Asahi's portfolio.
While what’s IN the bottle is crucial, how it
looks is now just as important when it comes
to catching the eye of a new audience – an
audience for whom taking a photograph of a
drink is as commonplace as actually drinking it.
Some brands consciously focus on a specific
colour or shape of a bottle to reach a specific
group of consumers. Moët & Chandon
champagne works powerfully with pink, gin
Pinkster has invested in a new bottle design
that shows off the drink’s rosey tones, and
Asombroso La Rosa tequila is packaged in
a way that tells the story of the drink inside
– sweet, floral and distinctive. These products
are designed for a social media savvy
generation – they’re made specifically
to be snapped and shared.
The big picture
It doesn’t have to be a total overhaul
– heritage brand Cointreau has recently
launched a revamped bottle to mark its 170th
anniversary, and it’s a clever way to repackage
but not totally rebrand: the label, conceived by
iconic French interior designer Vincent Darre,
is limited edition, and likely to catch the eye
of a new, design-focussed consumer. It appeals
to a changing demographic without losing sight
of what the drink is all about, and that’s the
goal any brand looking to reach new markets
should be trying to achieve.
It’s not just about ‘what’ this generation
is consuming – it’s also very much about
the ‘how’. As the swathe of new
experimental cocktail bars and craft beer
joints across the UK attests, consuming
alcohol is now less about getting drunk,
and more about new experiences, social
encounters and discovery, and alcohol
brands need to join the movement.
Haus
Celtic Soul
Strykk
The key to the boom? Highlighting to the new
generation of information-hungry consumers
that this is a spirit with serious history that’s
still perfect for a modern market.
Big Drop Brewing
Peroni Libera
Pinkster
Asombroso
Cointreau
Haus
Celtic Soul
Strykk
Big Drop Brewing
Peroni Libera
Pinkster
Asombroso
Cointreau
Big Drop
Peroni