Increasing sales through strategic branding for the alcohol beverage category.
Published in the Summer 2026 issue of Artisan Spirit Magazine.
While sales may be down, this is not a time to panic. This is a time for self-reflection and re-evaluation to create a new path forward for your brand. Here are some strategies to focus on (and strategies to avoid) to help stage your brand for … Continue reading
Published in the Spring 2026 issue of Artisan Spirit Magazine.
In the short span of time that AI has been readily accessible, it has proved to have useful applications in every industry, including branding and marketing for alcohol beverage brands. However, AI has limitations and poses concerns that can only be solved … Continue reading
Published in the Winter 2026 issue of Artisan Spirit Magazine.
What is an Aspirational Brand?
Aspirational brands don’t just connect with their consumer’s lifestyle; they are the consumer’s lifestyle. They have a strong ethos and identity that customers adopt as a part of their own identity – so much so that many of these brands are often referred to as “cult … Continue reading
Published in the Fall 2025 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
The Core 4 of your brand:
1. Brand Story
Developing or refining your brand story is the first crucial step. Your story will establish your brand’s voice and the essence of … Continue reading
Published in the Summer 2025 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Drivers of Low and No Alcohol Consumption
A December 2024 NCSolutions survey found that 49% of Americans are aiming to reduce their alcohol consumption in 2025, an increase … Continue reading
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
According to a November 2024 Supermarket News report, sales of private label alcohol brands were up 12% over the past 52 weeks, up 15% year-to-date, and up 23% in comparison to 2022. Private label brands provide an extraordinary opportunity to generate an additional source of revenue.… Continue reading
Published in the Winter 2025 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
While distillers have often turned to bulk spirits, the combination of increased production by both larger rectifiers and craft distillers has resulted in an excess of available product. This ample supply has driven down prices and increased accessibility to high quality bulk spirits. In turn, these factors have spurred opportunities to create marketing-driven brands and private label products.… Continue reading
Published in the Fall 2024 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Meant as a step in litter prevention and reduction, these laws set up a deposit and refund system for beverage containers of various sizes and materials. Many states already have them in place for non-alcohol beverages, but now select states are expanding the rule to include alcohol beverages … Continue reading
Luckily, finding purchasing efficiencies not only reduces your cost in the long run, but it also has the added benefit of allowing you more control over lead times.
Purchasing Efficiency
Here are some strategies for incorporating purchasing efficiencies, their benefits and potential watch outs … Continue reading
Published in the Winter 2024 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
The brand had recently undergone a packaging redesign with another agency, however, as they grew into a larger-scale facility and expanded their product line to specialty products, the necessity for developing a flexible packaging system became clear. In addition, their brand wordmark was used inconsistently across the … Continue reading
Published in the Fall 2023 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
It is your 24/7 salesperson that advocates for your product, so nailing your packaging design is crucial. It’s also not a set-it-and-forget-it feature only to be addressed when your packaging stops hitting the mark. Instead, your packaging should continually evolve over time to suit the changing and hopefully growing needs of your brand.
Here are some key milestones along … Continue reading
Published in the Summer 2023 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
So, you’re looking to get into the ready-to-drink category, and you’re probably wondering where to begin. Maybe you have spirits aging in barrels and need to gain revenue while they mature. Maybe you’re ready to appeal to a different segment of the market. What should your design look like? Well, before you dive into branding, you … Continue reading
Published in the Spring 2023 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
It pays to pay the right people—especially when you’re building a spirits brand. When you go it alone, it can be more expensive in the long run. Seemingly affordable freelancers rack up billable hours. What seems like a simple website build turns into a digital catastrophe without a programming expert. Navigating … Continue reading
Published in the Winter 2023 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
You’ve spent so much time and money to start your brand and your heart and soul are in every sip. While it may be a bargain at first glance, hiring an amateur is risky and will likely cost you far more time, money, and lost sales in the long run. Experts … Continue reading
Published in the Fall 2022 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
The road to launching a new brand is a lot like riding a train: when everything is on track and running smoothly, your destination greets you with seamless speed and agility. When the train goes off the track or gets delayed, your journey can turn into a … Continue reading
Published in the Summer 2022 of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Shipping delays. Supply chain complications. Widespread shortages. Freight costs have skyrocketed, and lead times have doubled or tripled. Raw material scarcities, labor shortages, natural disasters, wars, and enduring effects of the COVID era have impacted industries around the world, and in some cases, changed the landscape altogether. These … Continue reading
Published in the Summer 2021 of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Published in the Summer 2021 of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Published in the Summer 2021 of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Like many start-up businesses, the answer lies in your time and investment parameters: how quickly you would like to get to market, what your flexibility is to change course once launched and how to plan and … Continue reading
Published in the Summer 2019 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
No longer relegated to the dusty bottom shelves of retail, these premium RTDs are setting a new bar for the category’s reputation by emphasizing craft and quality as much as convenience, and very well may be the new frontier of opportunity and … Continue reading
Published in the Fall 2020 of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
With Covid-19 lockdowns shutting down or at least severely reducing the number of visitors to distilleries, restaurants and bars across the US, craft distilleries have seen their ability to sell their product plummet while consumers have flocked online to purchase their favorite libations.
There are now more than 40 states where consumers can purchase liquor … Continue reading
Published in the Summer 2020 of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
With tasting rooms, restaurants, bars and many retail outlets shutdown over the past couple months due to Covid-19, many distilleries saw a freefall in sales. Once the legal hurdles were cleared, many distilleries quickly shifted to producing hand sanitizer instead of their high-quality, craft products. This shift in production … Continue reading
Published in the Spring 2020 of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
The youngest Millennials are in their early 20s, and the oldest are coming up on 40. Far from the assumed monolith of sameness, Millennials are instead comprised … Continue reading
Published in the Spring 2019 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Over the past few years, many trends in craft spirits packaging have emerged. Some work well, others may be played out and one may be gaining traction. There is no silver bullet, however, knowing the … Continue reading
Whether you plan on launching just one product or dozens, considering your company’s strategy for brand architecture and how it will evolve over time is a critical first step to ensure your brand’s success and ultimately, its strength in the market.
The Branded House vs. House of Brands comparison … Continue reading
Rule #1: Remember, you are in the business of selling, more than you are in the business of producing.
Many a passionate producer has failed in thinking that the exceptional quality of their product alone would trump a well thought-out marketing strategy. In fact, your ability to influence consumer trial and cultivate brand loyalty are in … Continue reading
Often the most widely seen face of your brand, your website has to leave a good impression. As Director of Product Marketing for HubSpot Meghan Keaney Anderson points out in her article for Inc., companies retool their sites on average every 18-24 months. While the ever-changing online environment can make for new and unique challenges, these website redesign tips for alcohol brands will help you … Continue reading
Wineries and distilleries alike are showing their support for the environment by employing sustainable practices when it comes to their packaging. As consumers become more environmentally conscious, advances in sustainable materials and technologies are providing plenty of options for producers to “go green”.
While glass bottles have always been the gold standard for wine packaging, more recently, some cost sensitive and earth conscious … Continue reading
Ensuring your brand is legally protected is crucial if you’re going to compete in the ever-crowding alcohol beverage market. When it comes to developing your logo, package design, and other intellectual property, it’s important to know the difference between Copyright vs. Trademark so that you know what to protect, and how. Failing to ensure … Continue reading
Typical Hierarchy
In very general terms a typical label hierarchy from most prominent to the least prominent is as follows:
Every time a prospect reaches out to my agency with an RFP, one of the first questions we ask is, “What’s your budget?”. Some prospects are hesitant to share this information for fear of being “ripped of.” They are afraid … Continue reading
Published in the Fall 2018 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
Before beginning a design project, I walk my clients through a comprehensive creative brief. A good portion of this brief is devoted to analyzing and visualizing the market positioning goals of the brand so that we can develop a design solution that is not only aesthetically beautiful, but … Continue reading
You’ve finally done it, congratulations! You have created your product, developed your brand identity and packaging and now you are ready to get your finished labor of love into the hands (and mouths) of your consumers by bringing your brand to market. While it may seem like the bulk of your work is behind you, you still have some big decisions to make with how … Continue reading
Though the popularity (and legality) of direct to consumer sales is growing, the “bread and butter” sales channel for alcohol beverages is the 3-Tier system. Finding the right distributor for you is crucial to your brand’s success. Distributors come in all shapes and sizes but here are the 3 of the most common:
Top Supplier Distributor
These distributors often have a leading market share in particular state or region … Continue reading
DON’T STOP…. You have completed so much hard work by establishing your brand story and your new package and now you are ready to introduce it to the world. Whether you are presenting to consumers directly, distributor teams or retail accounts, don’t enter the arena empty-handed.
4 Keys to Successful Marketing Materials
The Direct to Consumer sales channel, while relatively new for the wine sector, is gaining popularity as a way to maximize profits for brand owners by avoiding the challenges of the three tier system.As new legislation continues to take affect, this powerful new opportunity is sure to grow. While this new channel provides both direct contact and communication opportunities with the consumer, it is crucial to manage it correctly in … Continue reading
Utilizing the latest packaging technologies and innovations is a great way to optimize your brand’s presence and win mindshare with consumers. Below are 4 great packaging innovations along with tips on how to implement them, sources and packaging examples where they can be used cost effectively.
Labels are no longer relegated to paper alone. Now you can source … Continue reading
As Millennials come of legal drinking age they are consuming more wine than any other generation before them. This new demographic has brought a different type of demand to an industry that, up until now, has largely been driven by tradition. Not any more – from wine cocktails to alternative packaging, Millennials are changing the way we … Continue reading
Published in the Fall 2019 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
It’s a common belief that the motivation for a package design change is largely in the hands of the brand´s owners, but in actuality it’s the competition that compels the need for change.
The brand owners, however, must spend the time to diagnose their brand thoroughly in order to decide … Continue reading
To set you out on the path for success BEFORE your project even begins, you should take some important factors into consideration as you search for the right creative partner. A little bit of due diligence will pay off later by saving you the headaches … Continue reading
Key phrase here – as we know them.
Capsules have long been thought as the finishing element on a bottle of alcohol, a secondary closure over a cork or other bottle closure that acts as the “crown” finishing touch on a bottle for wine and spirits – but a shift has been gaining momentum in recent years.
The 3 developments … Continue reading
Competition for market share in the wine, beer, and spirits categories has never been fiercer, making it more important than ever to assess whether your brand has the qualities necessary for success.
The following are the most common qualities of successful alcohol beverage brands.
Everyone knows that your alcohol brand package has to work hard on the retail shelf and on the back bar to attract consumer attention. Custom bottles are a powerful way to achieve this end, especially when finished with complimenting packaging components.
But brand owners must fully consider the ramifications of committing to a custom bottle before … Continue reading
Color, though one of the most obvious elements of your brand’s identity and packaging, is often one of the most overlooked, underleveraged and misunderstood. Below, I discuss how color can impact your branding and marketing efforts along with the three reasons to leverage color in your alcohol packaging.
3 Reasons to Leverage Color in Your Alcohol Packaging
Since … Continue reading
Sonoma State University conducts an annual survey on the American wine consumer. Their most recent research answers some elusive questions including: How do they choose a wine? Where do they purchase their wine? and do they leverage social media?
How American Consumers Decide To Purchase a Wine
Despite what many may assume, after considering price and varietal, consumers decide to purchase a wine largely on brand (74%) and rely … Continue reading
The power of stories in consumer engagement is undeniable, but often deciding how to develop your alcohol brand’s story presents a more difficult challenge. In the following article, I’ve outlined some keys to developing killer stories that will appeal to your consumer, grab their attention, and engage their imagination.
The goal of telling effective stories about your brand should … Continue reading
Confirmation bias is the tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true. As a result, people gather evidence and recall information from memory selectively, and interpret it in a biased way. The biases appear in particular for emotionally significant issues and for established beliefs.… Continue reading
Jonathan Becher is a technology and marketing expert and the Chief Digital Officer at SAP. He recently wrote a Forbes article entitled, “The Psychology of Wine Labels” and was kind enough to reference my book, 99 Bottles of Wine:
“In his new book, 99 Bottles of Wine: The Making of the Contemporary Wine Label, Schuemann reveals the strategy behind the company’s most successful packaging designs. The book contains a wide variety of photographs of some of the most eye-catching … Continue reading
Why Write a Creative Brief?
As the number of brands in the wine industry continues to skyrocket, the task ahead for marketers is more difficult than ever. In 2014 alone, the TTB approved over 100,000 new wine labels. Compounding the issue is the wine consumers’ declining ability to differentiate between this myriad of choices within a category where product attributes overlap considerably. With the number of SKUs on-shelf growing at … Continue reading
Proper tiering plays a powerful role in alcohol beverage branding. Designing the packaging appropriately for each price point, product type and quality level is crucial in order to avoid confusion amongst the various tiers. A properly designed system will help attract consumers seeking products at particular price points and provide a strong family look for your brand portfolio. If designed improperly, products in … Continue reading
Packaging and advertising are both crucial components to any marketing mix, but which one has more influence at the time consumers make their purchase decision? More importantly, which one is giving you a better ROI?
The correct balance of investment between packaging and advertising is even more crucial for smaller brands with limited budgets. Packaging is a proven ally on the front lines of the retail environment.
Here are 3 … Continue reading
There’s nothing like having that extra security of research to validate what your gut-instinct is telling you about your packaging. Here are 3 suggestions to consider for your next research project:
Make sure the research you will conduct can … Continue reading
Volumes have been written about how to build a strong brand, but where should you start? While there are many ways to develop strong brands, there is a common DNA that runs throughout all successful alcohol brands — a strong, well-thought-out and clearly defined brand essence.
The brand essence is the most elemental part of your brand.… Continue reading
One of the keys to creating a successful alcohol beverage brand that breaks through the ever-growing crowd of offerings is exceptional design and packaging. There is no question about it: with all sorts of consumer products including alcoholic beverages, visually appealing packaging piques our interest, invites trial, and assists our recall of a brand we tried. New research even suggests that packaging even affects our taste perception of the quality of the product.
If … Continue reading
Over the past few years there have been an alarming number of stories from colleagues and clients alike that were burned by a “bargain” from a design firm or freelancer. Initially thinking they were getting a deal they later discovered their projects ended up costing them a small fortune in time and money and/or results that fell short of expectations. Here are a few … Continue reading
Published in the Winter 2018 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
As the HENRY demographic matures, they may become the next generation of the ultra-luxury consumers; making the investment in gaining their loyalty early an opportunity that will appreciate over time.
The Facts
The American middle class has lost some of its spending power, even with recent economic gains over the past … Continue reading
Naming and branding can be a powerful combination when developed correctly. Together they form the vision and the essence of your brand, communicate the benefit of your product, and ultimately support an emotional connection with your target consumer.
Developing and choosing a name is a delicate balance of art and science. Names that follow these 10 key rules will have the greatest chance of success:
Whether you’re a boutique producer or a multi-million case global brand, the time will inevitably come for a package redesign. For better or for worse, market success simply doesn’t allow for stagnancy – it demands change to keep up with trends, expanded product lines, and maintain engagement with your core consumers.
In this article for Wines & Vines that Jane Firstenfeld interviewed me for in May 2014, I touch on … Continue reading
Love them or hate them, Millennials currently represent $200 billion in direct spending power, 25% of the population and are on track to make up 75% of the total workforce by 2025 (CMSwire.com).
I work with brand and marketing managers on a daily basis that struggle with how to make their brands appeal to the next generation of the American consumer. What’s … Continue reading
Your packaging is, in many cases, the first experience the consumer has with your brand. Use of color can communicate volumes to your consumer before they ever pick up your product.
Black has been a standard in sectors like consumer electronics and automotive for years, but was considered taboo for the food and beverage categories. Previously thought … Continue reading
With the introduction of new products, package redesigns, and an abundance of general point of sale materials, the wine and liquor isle at your favorite market can be a tough place to compete for the consumer’s attention – all the more reason to make your packaging POP!
Take the time to do a little … Continue reading
You’ve spent months developing a new brand package and all that is left is to get it produced. Unfortunately, there is no easy button…There are, however, several easy things to consider that will ensure you new packaging is flawlessly produced and avoid production nightmares.
Bottle – Size Does Matter.
A label has to be applied to something… and most of the time it’s a bottle. If you are developing a custom … Continue reading
Published in the Spring 2018 issue of Artisan Spirits Magazine.
The overwhelming number of choices in the marketplace makes choosing a wine, beer, spirit or any other product a difficult task. Exceptional packaging can be one of the keys to cutting through the noise and standing out from the crowd.
The three reasons exceptional packaging will benefit your brand:
Numerous studies have been conducted … Continue reading
