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In the Covid-19 era, even an orange juice brand was tempted to make a commercial about getting drunk—so it’s somewhat surprising that Dry January ads are once again everywhere.
- With 61% of adults over 21 in the US purchasing more alcohol since the pandemic hit, one might expect alcohol brands to skip the Dry January ads this year.
- But one in seven adults is participating in Dry January this year, up from last year’s numbers, according to research cited by Forbes.
For a brand like O’Doul’s that specializes in non-alcoholic beer, there’s no reason not to dive headfirst into advertising around this newfound target audience—it partnered with Match to normalize dating without drinking this January.
But for a brand like Heineken, which recently launched a spot advertising its non-alcoholic beer in partnership with ABC’s The Bachelor, you have to wonder which target audience it’s better off serving—the 61% or the one in seven?
My hot take: Alcohol labels promoting sobriety might actually earn points with drinkers and non-drinkers alike, especially after sobriety advocates publicly asked us to chill with the binge drinking messaging in response to Tropicana’s controversial “TakeAMimoment” campaign.