The way we consume alcohol in the UK is changing. According to the University of Sheffield, one-third of adults consumed no/low alcohol drinks in 2022 and 18% consumed low/no drinks at least once a month. As well as this, the same report revealed that sales of low/no drinks accounted for £221m, almost doubling from the previous year.
The change doesn’t stop there, as consumers are now also looking for health-conscious alternatives when it comes to their alcohol consumption. Linney’s EAT insight report reveals that 66% of consumers are interested in products that boost cognitive health. In the drinks market, this means that consumers are exploring options with added health benefits, like probiotic cocktails or alcoholic kombucha.
Behavioural shift from the pandemic has also meant that online alcohol retail sales in the UK have grown to £947.6 million between 2019 and 2024 (IBISWorld), and is set to grow 5% annually through until 2029. This change in purchasing behaviour means that the opportunity to sell online is better than ever, and here is why paid social is the best route for your brand.
How can paid social benefit my alcohol brand?
There are some iconic TV ads by alcohol brands over the years. Budweiser’s ‘Whassup?’ (1999), Foster’s ‘Smart/Casual’ (2011) or John Smith’s ‘’Ave it!’ (2002) immediately spring to mind as memorable campaigns, but TV placements are expensive and often lack clear calls-to-action for consumers to immediately purchase.
On paid social, the cost of reaching hundreds of thousands is much cheaper and you can link directly to your website to make sales, making it the perfect channel to advertise on at scale.
As a brand new to the market, you may be interested in awareness-driving campaigns as these will ensure your brand is seen frequently, impacting purchasing decisions further down the line – similarly to TV. Read more about how we did exactly this for low-calorie lager brand Skinny Lager.
For brands with an e-commerce function, however, social media channels provide multiple touchpoints to increase website traffic and generate sales, impacting the bottom line directly. Our paid social team are experts in this, with a keen eye for optimisations to increase your return on advertising spend.
Are there regulatory steps I need to take?
As an alcohol brand owner or marketeer, you will know the amount of regulation within the industry, including age-gates on your website, for example. On Meta in the UK, you are allowed to advertise on Meta’s platforms as long as your target audience comprises of those aged 18 and over.
On TikTok, the policy is much more stringent and you’re not allowed to promote alcohol on the platform.
How can I get started?
We would love the opportunity to work with you, please get in touch and a member of our team will be in touch to work out more detail about your brand’s objectives, advertising budget and how we can help.