For alcoholic beverages, the lack of unique selling points in all categories has resulted in ongoing efforts to differentiate on emotional dimensions such as packaging design and advertising. Premium tiers still use luxury cues while mid- and low-tier brands leverage tradition and social cues to drive increased consumption by prompting for more occasions. “Low carb” messages seem to be waning as consumers migrate back to taste as a primary choice driver. Switching based on taste claims and trading-up for “premium” experiences are tactics for growth in both beer and spirits globally.
Globally, legislation in both marketing and distribution has made capturing new users complicated. Traditional media still dominates branding efforts, while more attention is being given to in-store marketing and promotion that is shopperinsight driven. This has resulted in holding companies like InBev and Diageo looking at how they organize around this opportunity to influence choice at the shelf beyond price promotion alone. -Bill Chidley, Senior Vice President, Interbrand DesignForum, North America
53 Best Global Brands 2011 by Interbrand
“ Low carb” messages seem to be waning as consumers migrate back to taste as a primary choice driver.