It wasn’t too long ago that marketing alcohol was dominated by the big beer brands. From the nineties to the noughties, a funny ad campaign and a huge media spend were all the ingredients necessary to earn you a place in UK drinking culture.
But fast forward twenty or thirty years, and the generation of drinkers coming of age in a new digital world has forced the shift to a far more considered way of advertising and marketing alcohol.
Share your authenticity
Ironically, for anyone building or marketing a brand of any kind in today’s likeable, shareable, insta-everything society, authenticity is the word of the day.
Younger consumers in all sectors are shunning the large mass-producing brands in favour of smaller independent names. In the alcohol market in particular, the growing demand for craft beer is very much to do with the fact smaller breweries are more picky about their ingredients, more open about their processes, and more personal in their approach. And thanks to the web and a myriad of social media channels, they’re also far more able to tell people about it.
Drinkers in 2017 want to believe their tipple has been created by an artisan who cares passionately about their craft. Which means companies that can build an enticing brand story around those values should have no problem courting at least some interest.
Older doesn’t equal better
However, this generation’s desire for authenticity shouldn’t be confused with a love of heritage. The millennial generation is far more impulsive and open to innovation than any that’s gone before. New flavours, new products, new ways of doing things – they’ll positively celebrate giving them a try. But if the new experiences you’re offering have no substance, you won’t keep their attention for long.
Looks can kill
And even if your brand is overflowing with authenticity and substance, it could be all for nothing if your packaging isn’t front-cover-worthy. These days aesthetics are of huge importance. So if your bottle or label isn’t going to look good on your customers’ Instagram feed, your product may never make it off the shelf.
Hit the spot
What all of this means, is that marketing your alcohol brand is nothing like pulling a pint of best. A good understanding of your audience, blended with the huge choice of different media channels and routes to market, means now more than ever you have the opportunity to create a subtle and sophisticated marketing cocktail that’s mixed exactly to your customers’ tastes.
If you need help choosing the ingredients, give us a call. We’ll take you out for a drink.