The famously teetotaling Hayes has turn into Athletic’s “Chief Fancy Officer,” with the 2 partnering on a limited-time brew referred to as Fancy Like. The product is called after his chart-topping 2021 single that went viral, setting off a TikTok craze and juicing enterprise at name-dropped Applebee’s. Fancy Like, the beer, had a cameo in a current Hayes music video and might be offered at his live shows whereas provides final.
Athletic’s advertising and marketing onslaught occurs as non-alcoholic beer gross sales at bars and golf equipment have jumped practically 33% in 2024 and elevated 35.5% in groceries, in accordance with NielsenIQ. On the similar time, conventional beer gross sales dipped to their lowest ranges in a technology—beer shipments fell under 200 million barrels for the primary time since 1999, per Beer Marketer’s Insights—as drinkers turned to canned cocktails and seltzers, tequilas and different spirits.
The zero-proof class continues to be area of interest and nascent, with New England Consulting Group managing associate Gary Stibel recommending a break with the pack.
“Athletic occupies an infinitesimally small share of bladder, but the model is able to being a lot bigger,” Stibel mentioned. “The subsequent step? Get rid the NA piece of the advertising and marketing and turn into a significant beverage participant.”
But booze-free booze and “sober curious” are trending matters. Because the trendy temperance motion rages on—45% of Technology Z has by no means had alcohol, whereas 41% of imbibers say they’re attempting to drink much less, per Nielsen—Katz spoke to ADWEEK about cozying as much as boldface names, selecting the best media channels and competing in a jam-packed class.
ADWEEK: There’s been a surge in booze-free merchandise over the previous few years, so is the class too crowded now?
Andrew Katz: There are over 100 entrants into the NA beer area, so from a client perspective, there are simply so many issues to strive, some good, some not so good. And the large manufacturers like Corona, Heineken and Budweiser all have their NA part. I liken this to what I noticed within the power drink, coconut water and kombucha classes. This isn’t a brand new phenomenon: Folks see one thing with loads of warmth round it and so they wish to take part.
The problem for many manufacturers is that they don’t actually have a model—they’re dabblers. They’ll’t elevate capital, they’ll’t get distribution. Finally what occurs is a shakeout. The winners will proceed to win, and the fly-by-night opponents might be gone. Athletic has an incredible head begin—of the highest 15 manufacturers, we’re the one one within the class that solely produces non-alcoholic beer.
