With alcohol under pressure, marketing focuses on volume: whether that’s in bottle sales or website impressions or social media engagement.
But despite this, the world’s top 20 alcohol brands have seen their value plunge 7% over the past year: a serious hit to brand power.
Could it be that alcohol needs to think beyond the big, proven strategies - and think about other ways to build up brands?
Building a brand house on social media sand
In a drive towards volume and instant results, brands focus their time on proven ROI. That means influencers, social media, or glossy marketing campaigns. It means targets and measurable results.
But that comes at the expense of getting out and about and going to the bars and pubs themselves. And that’s a mistake, says Tony McGeever, drinks ambassador, whisky expert and the founder of the Soho Spirits Festival.
Building a social media community has its merits, but it’s also a little akin to building a brand house on sand. Brands may focus their efforts on glossy campaigns or retail promotions, but thinking of this as a genuine community is a bit of a stretch.
“There are brands who say on social media that they represent a community, but there’s no community at a supermarket,” says McGeever.
Meeting consumers in real life
Bars and pubs remain the place to actually meet and engage with consumers, he says.
And - for some bars - it’s actually still the core way of doing business.
Hospitality is a demanding industry. Not every business can afford a social media manager; nor invest the time and effort needed to create Instagram reels.
And hospitality and spirits remains very much a people industry: where connections in real life are still highly valued.
There’s no sugar-coating it: it’s hard work, nor does it promise immediate returns - but such on-the-ground, grassroots marketing has its rewards.
It’s in these bars that brands can really speak to consumers and help them explore the product.
The age of experience
Brand ambassadors are a key part of this.
A brand ambassador is someone who’s role is to promote the brand: championing its values and quality.
Brand ambassadors are often celebrities: using their might and muscle on social media to promote a product to their fans.
But they’re not always. Sometimes brand ambassadors are people who champion a brand more quietly: putting in the legwork by visiting bars, building relationship and ensuring the brand is being served and presented in the best possible way (the finest wine will never receive the rave reviews it deserves if it’s served at the wrong temperature).
“Brand ambassadors are the focal touchpoint, the communicator for the brand, the translators,” said McGeever. “They’re the ones who get it.”
And a good, grassroots, brand ambassador will know their beat. In a city like London, each neighbourhood has its own vibes, character and personality. Shoreditch is different from Soho, which is different from Chinatown.
A good brand ambassador will know what products resonate in which areas: is the way forward a fancy cocktail or a simple serve?
Education and experience
There’s two key areas spirits brands should cover - and can play to their advantage.
The first is education. Many consumers are wary about trying out new drinks - whisky, for example, represents an unapproachable category for many. It needs to be explained, served properly, and championed by someone who is passionate about the drink.
Then there’s the education about the brand: what it stands for, what makes it different, and what it can bring to the consumer.
And it’s also about the experience.
“The brands that do really well put the spirits second, and the consumer first. And they think about what the journey is before, after and during the drink,” said McGeever.
“It’s the brands that see the spirit as more than just a liquid.”
That experience could be about the drink itself: the theatrics of the serve, the uniqueness of the liquid or the craft and authenticity of the product.
Or it could go beyond the drink and offer more.
Last year, Snoop Dogg’s Still G.I.N. offered free haircuts as part of the Soho Spirits Festival, going outside the normal realm of spirits marketing with an initiative right at the heart of the community.
“That is about more than a liquid in a bottle: it shows you what the brand stands for,” said McGeever.
