Athletic Brewing and Lucky Saint have both built up a loyal following of passionate consumers. How have they done this: and what’s key for other brand builders in alcohol-free?
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Putting alc-free on tap
Lucky Saint is the UK’s top independent alcohol-free beer.
Founded in 2018 by Luke Boase, it’s now found in 10,000 pubs, bars and restaurants in the UK: and 85 Michelin star restaurants as well. And among 1,200 bars have Lucky Saint on tap.
“I think draught’s been really important,” said Kevin Lyster, head of communications at Lucky Saint.
“We launched that in 2020, which I think was a first for the category in terms of independent brands. And I think draught is really important in terms of the normalization of alcohol-free beer. If you’re with your friends at the pub... you can have a pint that looks identical to a full strength pint.”
The other key factor for the brand has been its upbeat, positive marketing.
“I think the brand has positioned itself really well in terms of making it a positive choice for people. It isn’t a ‘less than’ version or a ‘0’ version of a full-strength equivalent. Actually, it’s a brand and beer where people can go into a bar, see the tap handle and say: ‘I’m going to have a Lucky Saint’.”
Education and trial
Athletic Brewing was founded in 2017 by Bill Shufelt and John Walker. It’s since grown into the US’ top independent non-alc beer brand: with the country’s largest non-alc brewery.
For Athletic, the key has been to think about the brand building fundamentals.
“A lot of the brand building we do is just like any other category,” said Andrew Katz, chief marketing officer, Athletic Brewing. “It’s about having a brand promise, having a recognizable presence on shelf, and activating the brand across all different touchpoints.”
However, the non-alc category does have another dimension at play: education.
“In the US, non-alc is still around 2% of total beer,” continued Katz. “There are still so many people who have yet to try it or aren’t even aware of any brand.
“So there’s a lot of work to be done and the way we do it is what we would call ‘brick by brick’: it’s about getting out every single day, getting our product well-merchandised in store, going to the bars and going to restaurants, making sure the product is available and on the menu.
“And then from a communication point of view, it’s really understanding why people are coming to the category in the first place.”
“There are quite a few trade-offs when it comes to Athletic: the experience, the rituals, the variety that we have to offer. The lower calorie count, all those things for me are really quite compelling.
Athletic has built up a compelling case for people from across the board: with an experience, ritual and lower calorie count.
“Consumers… they just want to do a little bit better, consume a little bit less, but they don’t want to give up on experience," said Katz.
“They don’t want to give up on socializing. And they want something that satisfies all of their requirements and gives them something they feel proud of: like it’s a badge to hold Athletic.”
