Rewind: 5 Alcohol Trends That Ruled 2021
2021 has been a year of a complete rollercoaster of events. There have been highlights and heartwarming stories going around and at the same time there are some lows that can mainly be attributed to the ongoing global pandemic. The alcohol industry also saw its fair share of ups and downs. 2021 was the year that pandemic era marketing truly took shape in all industries and the alcohol industries learned to capitalize on the benefits of the new kind of remote marketing. While a lot of changes were seen in the way alcohols were marketed, 2021 was also the year where a lot of spirit brands came up with new and unique ways their alcohol can be made into delicious cocktails. This way, instead of directly telling the consumers to buy their products, there was a subtle plug in of their brands while the main goal of the video/article/post was seemingly to teach the consumers to make the new kind of cocktails.
A lot of alcohol brands also tried to make sure that their brand is imprinted in the minds of the consumers by running elaborate digital marketing campaigns - whether directly to market their products or through partnering with other organizations. Some spirit companies took the route of marketing while partnering with consumer-beneficial campaigns while other spirit companies partnered with similarly big brands to ensure that their brand names are out there in a memorable way. Some of the main trends that dominated the alcohol industry in 2021 were -
Increasing brand consciousness - One of the major noticeable aspects in the alcohol industry of 2021 was their conscious effort to increase brand consciousness - basically ensuring that the consumers are made aware of the brand and its quality through various creative ways so the consumers start choosing that particular brand’s products every time
Increasing inclusivity - While more alcohol brands need to increase their effort into being inclusive, many made a conscious effort to ensure that their brands are more inclusive looking. Whether it comes to marketing beverages to a wider audience or using diverse actors to market their beverages, alcohol brands have been putting a noticeable effort to change with the times and realize the positives in being inclusive.
Ready-to-drink beverages - The pandemic impacted the sales and marketing of alcohol in major ways. Initially, people were focused on buying only the essentials and eventually the lockdowns made it difficult for alcohol shops to function. There was a noticeable rise in ready-to-drink beverages that made consumers able to relish their favorite drinks at the comfort of their home without having to put in any effort.
Celebrity alcohol - There was a significant increase in various celebrities coming up with their own alcohol brands. Some of those are Snoop Dog’s Snoop Cali Rose and Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila.
Ecommerce - Alcohol brands took to extensively marketing their brands on digital platforms. Not only that, in 2021, there was a rise in the trend where a lot of alcohol brands started selling their alcohol directly from their website (as opposed to selling them through exclusive retailers) and getting them delivered to their client’s home. This seemed to actually have a positive impact on the sales of the alcohol brands.
