By Adam Goodrich
Blog II in a series illustrating how marketing informs stories. This blog uses the following article to form a perspective, How Dry I Am: Non-Alkie Bevs Push Sober January, by P.J. Bednarski @pjbtweet, January 6, 2021
O’Doul’s has singled out it’s target market for 2021’s ‘Dry January’… singles. In the article posted by MediaPost, How Dry I Am: Non-Alkie Bevs Push Sober, we preview the marketing efforts non-alcoholic beverage brands are rolling out for the new year. January has become one of two months promoted as a challenge to abstain from libations, the other being Sober October. In a clever campaign, O’Douls, from the Anheuser-Busch menu, has connected with Match.com to segment and target singles, and position their near beer as the drink of choice on a sober first date. O’Doul’s and a six pack of other zero or minimal ABV beers, wine-infused sparkling waters, and volcanic mineral waters were mentioned regarding their promotional strategies including sweepstakes, professional athletes, and social contests to vie for a chug of the small, but growing ‘non-alkie bevs’ market.
Key Marketing Topics
- Segmenting, Targeting, & Position
- Product, Price, Place, Promotion
- Digital Marketing & The Supply Chain
- Marketing Trends
An Unsuspecting Match For Dry January
My perception of O’Doul’s has always been of an old-school, no-ABV brew you’d see a low-key, older uncle sipping at a Summer cookout. When reading the article I had to second-glance before realizing the promotional can featured belongs to O’Doul’s, perhaps a love child from it’s January crush, Match.com (apparently they connected at Woodstock). Fashioning a heart surrounded by doves and colorful designs, the new look is a sober leap from tradition, and beautifully encapsulates their marketing strategy.
“Nearly one in three people feel pressure to have an alcoholic beverage on their first date.”
Match’s Singles in America Survey, included in the article from MediaPost, How Dry I Am: Non-Alkie Bevs Push Sober, by P.J. Benarski
Segmenting, Targeting, & Positioning
Two love birds meeting at a heart center, represented by an ice cold, alcohol-free, guilt-free can of suds. I imagine the Anheuser-Busch marketing team conducted an entertaining SWOT analysis to arrive at this conclusion, and I applaud them for the result. They have segmented the single population; targeted those who are still in search of love, but unwilling to compromise their commitment to Dry January; and strategically positioned the product via an update in the Match app that allows sober singles to connect.
Price, Product, Place, Promotion
In consideration of the marketing mix and O’Doul’s Dry January Campaign –
- Product – familiar to most and with a hip new, love-themed facade
- Place – featured in the Match app, and available in most restaurants/stores; is smart and to the target
- Promotion – leveraging Match.com and Dry January is timely and outside the box
- Price – if it brings two people a lifetime of happiness together, does it matter?
“Nearly 15,000 Americans from late December found that 15% of all U.S. adults planned to participate in Dry January, up from 10% last year.”
YouGov Survey, included in Forbes.com article, New Surveys Indicate Increasing Interest in Dry January, by Chris Furnari
Digital Marketing & The Supply Chain
What I find interesting, but not surprising about the O’Doul’s campaign is that I was unaware of it until reading the article. I am a proud participant of Dry January, and apparently a beacon to non-alcoholic brand digital marketers. As a husband and father with an active lifestyle, O’Doul’s correctly allocated their budget away from me, and allowed brands such as Athletic Brewing and Hop Wtr to appeal to my sober senses. Since early December these brands and others have been actively advertising on social, and I’m a complete sucker for digital marketing funnels. Out of curiosity I purchased both brands. The Athletic Brewing was available at our local package store, and the Hop Wtr had to be purchased online. The six’r of Athletic IPA hit the spot and is about gone, the Hop Wtr appears to be stuck in a lackluster supply chain. Fingers crossed Hop Wtr is focused on product excellence as one of the first brands to feature the use of adaptogens and nootropics… their operational, locational, and customer excellence has room for improvement.
“66% of U.S. adults, 21-34, are reducing their alcohol consumption”
According to Nielsen, included in the Forbes.com article, Adapt or Die: Molson Coors Turns To Partnerships, Non-Alcoholic Beverages For Growth, by Chris Furnari
Marketing Trends Guiding Business Decisions
O’Doul’s and its competitors have tapped into the health trend of the current marketing environment. In a separate MediaPost article, Non-Alcoholic Beers In Tune With Pandemic Times, also by P.J. Benarski, he notes, “The Sober Curious movement has been growing for years, and so have the number of low-alcohol or no-alcohol beers.” In 2020 the Molson Coors Brewing Company embarked on a rebranding, and replaced ‘brewing’ with ‘beverage’. Shortly after they went on a binge of investing in and acquiring several non-alcoholic beverage brands.
Conclusion
The health trend is real, and perhaps on the horizon of a proliferation once Covid-19 enters our rearview mirrors. 2020 tapped into stressful and trying times for most people. With little left to rely upon, alcohol and Netflix were always there for us. Once on the other side however, I believe we’ll place more value on health and wellbeing, and invest less on binging alcohol and streaming Tiger King. These articles and the moves brands are making to position themselves in the growing non-alkie bev market provide a promising outlook for near beer marketers. So with that in mind, we may as well, as the Hairless Dog co-founders, Jeff Hollander and Paul Pirner say, “Party like there’s a tomorrow!”
BTW, if you have not seen this Match.com commercial featuring the Devil meeting 2020, click here for a great laugh!