Thinking locally is the key for new alcohol brands
Sometimes it's more than just handing out free drinks at festivals....
Last week, Meena wrote about Buzzballz and other RTD beverages becoming accessories, and in this week’s culture share, we explored the role brands play in using colloquial language on social media and what tones of voice they should be using to engage with younger consumers.
As advertising rules prohibit alcohol brands from linking drinking with happiness, or even social success, they’ve had to think outside of the box, with some skirting the boundaries of what’s allowed. When brands are unable to showcase their products in ways that allude to the idea that drinking enhances your life, the key players in these sectors will have to start thinking creatively about how to win mindshare and hearts.
Some alcohol brands can rely solely on their legacy to communicate with audiences, particularly if they’ve become well-known and recognised brands. Take Jack Daniel’s, which has historically been associated with country and rock artists, with some famously only requesting the whiskey on their riders, such as Keith Richards, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. The Blues Kitchen, which has locations in Camden, Shoreditch and Brixton, stocks the brand as the venue is known for its rhythm and blues and soul music. You can surely imagine that in Nashville, Tennessee, which is a historic music city, you’d probably struggle to find a bar that sells any other rye whiskey brand.
Hennessy, a legacy cognac brand, leaned into and embraced a community that for so long had been given the brand marketing – hip-hop and basketball. When the two brands announced their multiyear partnership in 2020, many commentators and fans, such as myself, were thinking; What took so long? It’s the drink of choice for many players and rappers. Memes have been created around former NBA player J.R. Smith, nicknamed Henny Smith despite the player disliking the drink itself; that kind of lore can’t be manufactured in a brainstorming meeting. And to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the league, Hennessy gifted players in the celebrity tournament free bottles of the drink as well as branded basketballs.
While the NBA x Hennessy is indicative of two global brands partnering together, the essence of what made it so unique was that they leaned into a cultural audience-led relationship that took decades to manifest. This is where Cristal dropped the ball, and now it’s lost relevance among its core consumers and rappers alike.
There’s certainly a craving for independent spaces within culture as consumers seek experiences which are disruptive and off the beaten path. Venues and pubs that are part of chains generally tend to have a specific drinks supplier, preventing them from stocking rival brands. We see that with McDonald’s and KFC, where the former has Coca-Cola as its supplier and the latter only stocks PepsiCo brands.
It’s unlikely that brands such as Buzzballz and MOTH will eat up significant market share from traditional RTD brands due to economies of scale. However, these smaller, start-up brands are presented with an opportunity to enter spaces where playfulness, freedom of expression and individuality are celebrated.
For example, one of my local pubs in Tottenham, the iconic Mannion’s, is currently independently owned but has become a frequent jaunt for young Gen Z audiences, particularly those working in the creative industry, in recent years. Traditionally an ‘old man’s pub’, it’s now achieved cult status in North London, and if I were to see a brand like Buzzballz stocked in there, I wouldn’t be all that surprised. In fact, I’d consider it to be a pretty, erm, ballsy move because it would highlight that Mannions and Buzzballz have recognised and embraced who their audience is.
This approach could also help save venues under threat of closure through clever marketing. Communicating that Buzzballz are now stocked in a venue like The Dolphin on Mare Street could attract more young people to the pub, which, for years, has been considered a dive bar that holds many memories for people like me.
Aligning with venues that carry a cult status in local areas can build reverence with audiences in ways that feel more genuine and authentic than attempting to have drinks stocked in your chain pubs, bars and music venues. And as we shift towards thinking more locally and nourishing our communities and neighbourhoods, this will, in turn, ultimately boost economic growth in those areas.