Missed The Lock-In 2.0?

Our Chief Strategy Officer, Neil Bennett, pulled up a stool with three people who see premium drinks from very different sides of the bar:

Billy Abbott, Ambassador at The Whisky Exchange
Keegan Giannoni, Director of Brand Marketing at Infinium Spirits
Emil Stickland, Co-founder of Kocktail

One question on the table:

Is premium dead, or are drinks brands just playing by the wrong rules?

The panel's answer?

It isn't dead, but a heavier bottle and a fancier label won't carry the price on their own any more.

Across retail, US spirits and super-premium RTDs, they got into what earns the trade-up now.

The conversation highlighted four ideas every drinks marketer should be thinking about:

Four ideas every drinks marketer should be thinking about.

Drinkers can find out what's in the bottle and where it came from. Transparency and a real story now do the job packaging used to do alone.

1. Premium has to be lived, not just shown

People choose the occasion first and the drink second. The brands winning the trade-up are built for a specific moment, not trying to be premium everywhere.

2. Sell the moment, not the category

The best product ideas don't just generate sales—they give people something worth noticing, remembering and talking about.

3.People trust people

A listing is the start, not the finish. Bartenders and retailers recommend brands every shift, so give them the story and the knowledge to recommend yours.

4. Win the people who recommend you

Grab yourself a drink and watch the session below.

Is your brand still premium by the new rules?

If the conversation got you thinking about your own brand, let's keep it going.

We're offering five complimentary Brand Memorability Audits to ambitious drinks brands. In a focused 90-minute working session, we'll show you:

  • Where your brand is easiest to remember, and where it's easiest to forget

  • Whether your premium cues still earn their price with today's drinker

  • The strengths to build on for real competitive advantage

  • Three practical priorities to make your brand easier to remember, choose and grow

You'll leave with a clear, independent point of view and actions you can use straight away. No pitch. No obligation. Just an honest point of view.

No pitch. No obligation. Just an honest point of view.