What do 18-30 year-olds want, in drinks and other products? We asked for the latest news, views and merchandising advice from key young adult brands.
KEEP your eye on the on-trade and understand how young adults often try to recreate their bar and nightclub experiences in the home. It’s a message that’s repeated by several drinks firms with significant brands in the young adult market.
Drinks giant Diageo has the world’s biggest-selling vodka Smirnoff and the growing rum brand Captain Morgan in its portfolio and sees both as major players among young adults.
The company particularly highlights the in-bar performance of golden rum which it says now has a leading share of 42% of total rum in pubs, bars and clubs and is growing at a faster rate than white rum.
Rhys Love, Diageo’s senior brand manager for Captain Morgan in western Europe, said: “Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold has been in consistent double digit growth across both on and off-trade.”
And the company sees the boom in gin in smart bars reflected in strong off-trade growth too.
Guy Dodwell, Diageo’s sales director for the off-trade,said: “Premium gin is growing at around 10 times the rate of non-premium gin, with Tanqueray London Dry Gin driving 25% of all growth and sales of Tanqueray No. Ten up a remarkable 82.9%.”
The Tanqueray London Dry range was extended last year with the launch of a new 35cl fractional format and recently launched a new half-case size.
• Are off-trade trends really influenced by trends in on-trade young adult venues?
“In short, yes” said Johna Penman, marketing controller for melon liqueur Midori.
“With the growing popularity of the big night in, it’s more important than ever for the off-trade to stay abreast of key trends and a great way to stay on top of trends in the on-trade is by following key brands like Midori on social media.
“Midori’s social feeds become a source of inspiration on everything from what to drink, where to go and what to wear.”
• Young adult consumers are constantly on the lookout for the latest trend, reckons Simon Green, marketing director at Global Brands.
“A huge trend within the on and off-trade recently has been cocktails. In the on-trade, young adults are looking for the most interesting and quirky cocktails with unusual garnishes,” he said.
“Consumers are becoming more likely to try and recreate their own at home. Taking into consideration that not every drinker is an experienced mixologist, Global Brands recently launched London Road cocktails.
“London Road Cocktails are ready-to-serve premium cocktails in a jam-jar format. Each recipe, including Mojito, Cosmo and Singapore Sling, has been developed by expert mixologists, with a spin on the classics,” he said.
