Alcohol Marketing and Out of Home Media

Reprinted with permission of Emily Fritz, Marketing Manager, do it outdoors media

Alcohol is part of our everyday lives. But as an alcohol brand marketer, you know alcohol marketing is not as simple as that.

Sure, I like to sip on rose wine when I’m unwinding after a long day. I enjoy a rum-infused cocktail with friends when we have girls’ night out. And I kick back in the summertime with an ice cold beer around the campfire. But the truth is, I’m not drinking as much as someone my age would have 30 years ago.

While big brands focus on venue sales, new craft competitors seek to give local experiences. There are a plethora of choices: domestic beer, craft beer, import beer, wine, sparkling wine, local wine, rum, brandy, gin, vodka, etc. People reach for drinks to relax and de-stress, but new alternatives are now on the market. Those include cannabis and a wide variety of wellness products. The craft beer industry certainly shifted buying dollars within the overall alcohol space. As more breweries emerge, Millennials turn to apps for user recommendations to guide purchase decisions. Or, try home brew solutions instead. Younger generations aren’t drinking as much, and the overall consumption rate is on the decline.

Not to mention the regulations that add pressure to an alcohol marketing plan.

Or that e-commerce, delivery services and varying state laws are all things that are piled on a marketer’s plate. (You may even be one of those new delivery services or challenger brands disrupting the industry!)

Yet, there are many upsides to alcohol marketing. Street Bees suggests that brands who offer healthier, low-cal or smaller proof options may appeal to new audiences. Positioning your beverage brand as a way to unwind could also help you compete with new products. Premium brands are on the rise, so there’s great opportunity in the growing high-end market.

Using out-of-home medial allows you to remind consumers when they’re on the path to purchase that your brand is a terrific option. This media cuts through the clutter, offers a bold physical presence and can’t be skipped or ignored. Serving someone an ad while they’re away from home and making shopping decisions can be rewarding. Plus, out-of-home media is among the more trusted and credible mediums.

Even though overall consumption may have peaked in 2004, we still love to get our drink on. Sixty-six percent (66%) of US adults consume beverage alcohol, according to this article in Forbes.

Media and frequent messaging becomes more important to alcohol brands. It’s how brands win share and stay relevant to evolving audiences.

Responsible advertising is a must for this category. Because of our extensive experience driving wine, beer and spirits brands with our fleet of mobile billboards, we’ve created our own industry guidelines. When we customize the route, we steer clear of schools, playgrounds and other no-go areas by 500 feet. The mobile billboards, instead, stay within close proximity to wine, beer and spirits stores or points of purchase, bars and nightclubs and key events where alcohol may be consumed. Plus, each individual brand’s target audience is taken into consideration, so we’re driving where that audience lives, works, plays.

Out-of-home media formats are great at raising awareness or reminding consumers about your brand. They offer incredible in-market reach, and mobile billboards can also hyper-target key audiences.

In addition, field marketing teams at points of purchase can offer sampling or product education. More interactive experiential marketing can win the hearts of consumers. And mobile display ads, served to 21+ and using our sensitive content tier, can engage your audience digitally and provide them a point of conversion.

Out-of-home is the number one driver for online engagements per dollar spent compared to other media channels. We’ve found great success when we pair mobile display with our out-of-home campaigns, seeing higher click-throughs than on digital-only campaigns. Therefore, your digital marketing campaigns are not complete without out-of-home. The two channels reinforce each other and amplify the results.

It’s disappointing when alcohol marketing plans only allot a sliver of the pie to out-of-home, which drives so much reach and recall. Studies show when out-of-home media is added to or increased within the overall media plan, your ROI increases. For alcohol brands that face strict regulations, it’s a solution that is not only effective but credible.

An integrated out-of-home with mobile campaign is a powerful alcohol marketing solution.

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One Comment

  1. Very informative article. Thanks for reposting it!