[00:00:01] Quick question? Gen Z doesn't drink, or are they just drinking better than us? The overall spritz went from what is that to showing up at Coachella with Charlie XCX. A generation is rewriting drinking culture from scratch and non-alcoholic spritz that's been quietly beloved in Italy since 1965 just landed in America. The spirits industry is being completely reinvented culturally and literally.

[00:00:29] And today we've got the executive actually doing the reinventing. Allison Verone, head of marketing at Campari America, ever all wild turkey, the entire portfolio is icon status. You do not want to miss this one. Hit subscribe. Grab a bougie bev. Wait.

[00:00:59] wait. Welcome back to season six of the Retail Razor Show, the number one management and indie marketing podcast on good pods and the original show in the number one indie podcast network for retail. I'm Ricardo Belmar. And I'm Casey Golden. Welcome back, Retail Razor fans, to Retail's favorite podcast, where we cut through the clutter to bring you the sharpest insights in retail, consumer brands, and the trends reshaping how people shop, buy, and yes,

[00:01:26] drink. Ah, yes. Definitely one of the best parts. Always better with a quality beverage in hand. That's right, Ricardo. And today we're raising a glass because we are diving into the world of spirits and beverages, a category that has been shaken, stirred, and completely reimagined over the last few years. Casey, I think you mean shaken, not stirred, right? At least if we're talking

[00:01:49] about one of the things I'd love to have in common with James Bond. Ricardo. One of the things you have in common, as in one of many. I'm almost afraid to ask. Actually, no. I'm going to, we'll keep that for another podcast. Well, it would be a fun podcast for sure. I can tell you that. Okay. So let's set the scene then for this episode. It's 2026. Gen Z is officially a legal

[00:02:16] drinking age across the board, and they are not doing what anyone expected. Big surprise. At least not what any of us did at that moment. They're not doing, you're not going to find them doing shots at the bar. They're curating their cocktail moment like it's a key part of their aesthetic. And you, unlike Gen Z, used aesthetic in the proper context. Take Mark, Gen Z.

[00:02:41] And meanwhile, your aperitivo hour has gone from something your Italian grandmother talked about to something Charlie XCX is doing at Coachella. Yeah, you could say the Aperol Spritz is basically a fashion accessory at this point. Right? And somewhere in between the sober curious movement, GLP-1 meds, and the explosion of premium non-alcoholic spritzes, the entire industry is asking,

[00:03:12] what does it actually mean to drink in 2026? Yeah. Now, if you've been listening to the show for a while, you know how much we love bringing in the executives who are actually living these transformations. Not just talking about them in a boardroom or a PowerPoint deck, but out there building the campaigns, the culture, and the brands that consumers are choosing. And today, this guest is absolutely that person.

[00:03:38] But before we tell you about her, let me tell you about our new sponsor of the Retail Razor Podcast Network, Retail Club. Join 2,000 retail leaders at the Retail Club AI Festival, September 22nd to 24th in Huntington Beach. Dive deep into how AI is reshaping retail while soaking up the sun at a fully outdoor beachside venue. Decision makers from retailers and brands can attend with free tickets

[00:04:02] and up to $1,250 in travel reimbursement. Head to retailclub.com slash retail-razor-podcast to learn more and get your ticket today. A big thank you to Retail Club for helping us bring you this podcast and all the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network. Today's guest is Alison Verone. She's a 20-plus year veteran in the spirits and marketing world.

[00:04:27] She's led campaigns spanning from Negroni Week to the Haparol Spritz Piazza at Coachella. She's joined Campari America in 2024 and is now head of marketing, leading one of the most iconic and ambitious brand portfolios in the entire spirits industry. We're talking Aprel, Campari, Wild Turkey, Corvoisier, Bramarnier, Esplan Tequila,

[00:04:53] and the newest kid on the block for U.S. consumers, Cradino, Campari's non-alcoholic spritz that's been beloved in Italy since 1965. This woman is essentially the chief curator to Cocktail Hour. And we could not be more excited to learn from her. I expect this to be a masterclass in branding, but before we jump in, we do have a favor to ask of you, our fans, listening and watching today.

[00:05:20] If you're enjoying this season, and we hope you are, and I kind of feel like if you came back to this episode, that probably means you are enjoying it. So please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or GoodPods. And if you're watching us on YouTube, don't forget to like and subscribe. We'd also love it if you check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network, if you already haven't. Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Databites.

[00:05:46] With that said, let's welcome to the Retail Razor Show, Alison Verone, head of marketing at Campari America. Our conversation starts now. Welcome to the Retail Razor Show, Alison. It's a real pleasure to have you here with us and have this opportunity to really dig into the spirits, averages industry, talk about the most important trends. This is honestly probably going to be one of my new favorite episodes,

[00:06:15] because we never get an opportunity to have this kind of discussion. Great. Well, thanks for having me. Great to be here today. Yeah, I love the fact that we'll have the opportunity to essentially deep dive into this specific industry segment. It's going to be a real treat for us and our audience. So to get us started, Alison, why don't you just tell us a little bit about your background and role at Campari. And in case there's anyone left out there who isn't familiar with the brand, maybe a little bit of background there too.

[00:06:43] Sure, sure. So I'm thrilled to be here today. Thanks again. And I've been working and leading brands in the wine and spirit space for many years, almost 20 years of my career. Brands across multiple categories within wine and spirits, probably most of them at this point. And currently the head of marketing at Campari for the US market. And a lot of people don't know, we obviously have Campari brand, which hopefully everyone knows that brand, but we're also a very

[00:07:09] large portfolio of brands, including brands like Aperol, Esplon, Wild Turkey, Sky Vodka, Cabossier, there's a Grand Manier and many others. But yes, obviously well known for our Italian portfolio. Great. Well, thank you for that. So one of the things I find is super interesting about what's happening in this industry segment is really the way that Gen Z seems to just be rewriting the

[00:07:34] rules of how and why and when people drink these products. You know, simply moving towards more of a, I guess I call it a more mindful, intentional kind of consumption rather than just saying, let's have a drink because that's what people might do. So from Campari's vantage point, what is the most exciting part of where this drinking culture is evolving and how is a brand like Campari kind of helping to shape that next chapter with this generation? Yeah, we're in very interesting times and you're right that people's consumption patterns are

[00:08:03] changing, right? And the way we're responding to that is really about responding to the moderation trend with our diverse portfolio, right? So, and offering different products for different occasions and different moments of that moderation. So we have low options, like a spritz as an example is a very low alcoholic cocktail, which has been a phenomenon in the United States. It came over from Europe. We also have a non-alcohol offering within spritz called Crudino, which we just launched

[00:08:32] last year in the US. So we have non-alcohol, we also have High Proof and all of our other brands as well. So I think from our perspective is we're focusing on what we call the first shared drink. We want to be people's first shared drink of the day, of the evening when they're ready to obviously unwind and have a social occasion. So we think we're well positioned to answer on the new

[00:08:56] moderation trends. And again, lots of chatter out there about people consuming less. Of course, I think people are, but I think people are also consuming more mindfully and we're well positioned to answer that trend as well. Yeah. Between the sober curious movement, GLP one's influence on all cravings and a shift toward just quality over quantity. I mean, as a nineties child, like how many times

[00:09:26] did we drink something and like hold our nose? I don't think that's like a Gen Z thing that's happening here, right? Consumers are fundamentally rethinking this relationship with alcohol in general. How has that inspired these new product innovations at Campari and what does the opportunity look like for brands that lean into that shift rather than resist it?

[00:09:51] Yeah. We, as I mentioned before, we have a portfolio that's built on full strength and moderation medications, right? Which we're very lucky. And I think for us, we're inspired by the ability to focus on flexibility of day parts in the sense of, we have products and experiences that can be enjoyed in daytime occasions, social occasions,

[00:10:17] at home occasions, which we know ever since the pandemic has also certainly blown up the at home entertainment aspect of what consumers are doing. Oh, right. And also, and also convenience, right? So in terms of innovation, I mean, the RTD space has been so interesting as we know, and consumers are looking for high quality products in a convenient format. So we're starting to explore that. We already have ready to serve options with Campari,

[00:10:43] with Aperol, where consumers can just, you know, open the bottle and pour it over ice and it's ready made in a high quality experience. So I think convenience is a big part that we're leaning into, but we also are making sure that our innovations stay premium. They stay high quality because there's a lot out there. We need to make sure that ours are brand led and really rooted in the authentic serves that we drive here at Campari through all of our products.

[00:11:11] Yeah. It's got to be a fun space. There's so many new drinks out on the market, so many brands, brands. And it is kind of difficult to try something new when you're not buying one serving. So this is, it's really interesting. So much, I haven't got onto the non-alcoholic yet because I always think drinking or not drinking. And so I'm really curious now of like a whole handful of things that I want to try.

[00:11:42] Yeah. Yeah. And I think what's interesting about the non-alcoholic mindfulness is that there's a lot, what we see in the data is that consumers are just being more choiceful in when they want an alcoholic versus a not, right? Not necessarily where it's one or the other. Right. Right. Yeah. Both. Right. So I think, as I said, we have options for that, what people want in terms of flexibility and choice, which is great. It's a good trend. I mean, it's all good things to be mindful with what they're putting in their bodies and we're able to offer that in our portfolio.

[00:12:11] And it really does seem to be more of an occasion led experience now where it's going to be moved from an era where people thought about drinks as it's just, it's what they do when they go out, whether it's the restaurant or a bar or they're with people. But now there's really more about the occasion and how the drinks, whether it's alcoholic or non-alcoholic, how does it add to that experience? And I see that in, and you mentioned it, I see that in the more premium

[00:12:36] nature of some of these things where we, there was a time when the ready to drink, we used to think that was practically a disposable product that we weren't expecting premium quality and experience from that. But now it almost is the expectation around that occasion. I'm curious, like how do you look at, from a marketing perspective, how do you look at translating that into new campaigns that you design new experiences that you're trying to engage with your consumer? Like for example,

[00:13:04] what would be some of the most creative executions that you've been able to do in the past year following this trend? Yeah, definitely. I mean, a hundred percent correct. I think the occasions are really fluid now, right? Driven by people, how people are gathering versus kind of the cookie cutter approach to going out at night to a bar, to a nightclub, very, very say simplistic view of the occasion. So it's definitely fluid. The way we activate is really, is meeting the consumers

[00:13:31] where they're at in real life, in culture, digitally, obviously social. And great example is, let me give you an example of Apera. We just came off of Coachella. I'm sure you can't open your phone and the news without thinking. And not get a post about it. Yeah. We just came off of that, which was excellent. But that's a great example of consumers are looking to have a real experience led by music, led by culture, obviously led by fashion. And Apera is

[00:13:56] at the middle of it in the sense that we want to give them an elevated experience while they're enjoying that occasion. So that's an example of how festival life is alive and well as an occasion now, and we come into that. And then another good example for Apera again, is we ran a campaign last year, which we call Aperolidays, which was a spin on bringing Apera into your at-home holiday entertainment, right? Which is not something you think about maybe when you think about Spritz,

[00:14:25] but Aperol has become such a large brand that consumers are drinking it all year long, right? So again, how do we insert ourselves into those holiday occasions, which we know consumers are doing, are going to be doing no matter what, and we want to be at the center of that. With over 20 years in the industry, you've seen massive shifts in consumer behavior before. You've probably seen pretty much all of it. Some that maybe surprised everyone. Was there a prediction about where drinking culture was headed

[00:14:54] that you later came to see differently or something that really a shift happened that unlocked a whole bunch of opportunity for any of the brands today? Yeah. I think a couple of things that we knew, I mean, I've been in the industry for quite some time. We knew many years ago that the shift of mindful drinking was going to be a thing. We definitely

[00:15:21] saw that. I think that the notion that people were going to not drink at all was kind of what we thought it was going to be. But what it's actually coming out to be is again, what we call this kind zebra striping, which is people are bouncing between non-alc and alc, and they're looking for diversified products for whatever they feel in that moment. So I think that it's been tempered in the sense of that, that mindfulness drinking. I guess the other one I wasn't necessarily maybe

[00:15:49] ready for, which has really been dynamic, is the shift in daytime. The daytime occasions are much more prominent now than they were in the past. And 10 years ago, it was, you know, you went, especially in New York and metropolitan areas. I mean, late night was where you spent most of your socialization, right? But consumers now are really, really bringing that up earlier in the day. And again, we're well positioned here, Compari, to answer on that shift. Goodness. Like I actually really need an education because I just went to the movies last night

[00:16:18] with a friend. Their only place to go was a bar. Neither one of us wanted to drink because we had to be up early for work in the morning. And we didn't even know what to order. Like we need, like, I guess I need to start following a whole bunch of others because I need ideas. I don't even know what to ask for. Yes. I think that's the beauty of the non-alc, right? A lot of bars and restaurants now have non-alc menus, you know, and we're at the forefront of that, which is great because again,

[00:16:48] we want to make sure that we're giving people an elevated experience, even when they're not, they don't want to be consuming the ABV. Yeah. Yeah. That's so true. And it's, and it's such a different, I hadn't seen such a different evolution where we came from in this, in this segment. When you think about, you know, how you're building out the brand and kind of architecting around all these different occasions and trying, and of course still speaking to multiple generations, how do you look at that

[00:17:14] when you're thinking about these things and how you're going to implement that and activate on it? How do you view that? And maybe I'm thinking particularly across, because we seem to have so many differences like Casey just highlighted, these are on practical generational differences, right? And, but it's still the same products. You're still trying to reach them with the same brands. How do you see that kind of playing out when you're activating it market? Yes. I think again, our, at Campari, our portfolio is quite diversified, which we're very lucky,

[00:17:41] which means that we can span generations with our products, right? Which is great. So you have maybe, let's just say entry consumers where Spritz plays in the Aperols of the world, Campari, Espelon Tequila, which is a massive brand for us. That's Crudino, exactly, which is the non-alc Spritz, obviously. Then we move into heritage brands, right? Like Wild Turkey, we have Russell's

[00:18:07] reserves, and then we obviously have non-alc. So we're able to really span different types of consumers, right? And we definitely segment them. The way we go to market is really keeping the consumer target for that specific brand at the heart of what we do and make sure that we have cohesive marketing plans, but being able to be flexible to build scale of the different occasions that they live in. So, you know, to give you an example, we'll do, let's just say Negroni week,

[00:18:37] right? For Campari, which is in September, which is really a week where we kind of really take over Negronis, kind of take over metropolitan areas, which has been a great success. So that's one activation. And then we have, we do tasting events and master distiller type of events that we do and tastings for Wild Turkey, right? Which obviously goes after a different occasion. Then we even have, which we just launched this week with Espelon is short King week. I don't know if you guys saw it,

[00:19:03] but the idea of bigger is not always better. And Espelon is a short tequila bottle in the sea of large, small tequila bottles. So we kind of read that notion, right? And have a little bit of levity and that goes after, you know, the already big social content campaign, right? So you can see we kind of carve out the spaces depending on the brand and depending on the consumer target that we're going after for that particular brand. With these activations, there's so many brands.

[00:19:32] You cover so many generations across it, different types of drinking styles, events. How do you measure the impact of all these immersive moments and like brand love, customer acquisition? How does that whole piece like roll up to you? Yeah. ROI is a very big piece of what we do. And at the core of it, we activate the brands and we

[00:19:59] bring the brands to life and we bring the liquid and the drinks to life, right? In a way that is immersive, memorable and shareable, right? So that's kind of our mantra is you've got, we want our consumers to really emotionally connect and have a really great experience that they're willing to share, right? With others. So, and that drives scale. So the way we measure that is obviously through sales, of course, at the forefront, right? But also add kind of social

[00:20:25] listening, you know, the cultural signals, earned media relevance, our brand health metrics, obviously. Social listening is a big piece of what we do. As an example, you know, we just did Coachella. I mean, App Row was at the top of social mentions for the past two weekends because of obviously all the buzz and everything around that. So we measure that literally day by day, you know, when we're in the market doing something. So, and the goal again, is to really drive emotional connection and affinity for our brands, not just awareness itself, but when people are bringing

[00:20:54] products to them and they want to speak to them, they want to be emotionally connected. So that's why the brand equity piece of what we do in the longterm is so important. That's great. With a spirit space, like almost like more crowded than ever, got so many indie startups, which going against portfolio giants, but all their exit strategies are literally to be acquired by the giants, right? But some of these challenger brands have been winning by just going deep on

[00:21:23] culture and community and super niche consumer tribes. What do you see as the real playbook for a new beverage company to break through today? And what do you do? Like the most interesting emerging players understand that maybe some others don't. Yeah. It's, it's tough to be a small brand emerging these days, right? Cause it's such a cluttered environment. So from my perspective, I've worked on big brands and I've worked on small brands in my

[00:21:52] past. So, you know, being a small brand can be challenging. I think the trick is, is, is, is the trick is not to be too broad and to really, if you're a new brand is, is find your voice and have a strong POV, right? To be able to cut through and not be too generic. Right? So I think that is, that's important because again, it's, and you might not be a brand for everybody at that moment, right? But if you're starting out, you know, you want to make sure that you have a strong

[00:22:21] point of view and a strong voice. And I would say it's really about building credibility, right? Is selecting what are the markets cities you want to go after? Because when you're small or emerging, you can't do everything. And I think that, you know, have a strong back to the brand voice is have a story, you know, and the brands that have strong stories and drive storytelling. And again, bringing it back to emotionally getting consumers and also trade partners in this, in this industry are quite important. You know, getting the gatekeepers along with your

[00:22:50] stories is going to be key to starting out. Yeah. I've got some friends in this space and I wouldn't have traded their for mine any day. You're doing really hard stuff. And if you turn that around a little bit, like when you as Campari are looking at bringing in a new brand for a new product, whether it's a new category, a new, new alcohol segment,

[00:23:19] is it a similar approach? How do you think about that? If you were to go introduce a new brand, are you, do you start by thinking of that particular very focused, well-defined segment that you think isn't being served by one of the other brands in the portfolio and then grow from there, or is it a different approach? I think it depends. Let me give an example of Cordino as an example, right? Which is our new non-alc. So Cordino is not a new to world's product.

[00:23:43] It's actually was created in 1965 by herbalists in Italy. And we just recently decided to bring it here to the US, which a lot of people have been waiting for. And the reason for that is that, you know, we felt like we needed to get the spritz, Aperol and Campari to a certain scale first, before we introduce the non-alc version, right? And the non-alc expression. So to answer your point,

[00:24:10] we see obviously now is the right time with all the mind-building shrinking we're talking about, right? So it's more about where's the space, what's the need, what's the consumer need, and what product then answers on that need. And in a challenging business environment, I think that's the way to success versus kind of being very, very product focused and making sure you're keeping your eye on the consumer need at the forefront. Yeah. And then if we kind of look at on the other end of the spectrum, you've got

[00:24:38] strong heritage brands like Wild Turkey, you've got, you were talking about Negroni week, right? And then the strength behind that. And that's something that's been around for, gosh, hundreds of years at this point, right? How do you kind of honor that sort of heritage and still keep making it resonate with new consumers who are just discovering these brands and maybe they're discovering it through a social activation on TikTok, for example. What's that art of keeping these iconic brands and their timeless nature, but without making it feel

[00:25:07] like it's old and tired, but still new and fresh? Yeah. Yes. I mean, certainly our brands are iconic and have been around for a long time. And you mentioned, you know, Wild Turkey is a good example. So we, we launched a new campaign last year called Don't Change Damn Thing, which is very kind of an homage to Wild Turkey Olds being the same formula, right? Which people love, which is great. The trick is how do we stay true to that brand and we translate that messaging onto different platforms,

[00:25:34] right? Translate them onto social, translate them onto TikTok, right? Which we know consumers are obviously, you know, that's what they're consuming media wise. And really understanding the medium, the medium itself, and then how does the creative voice come through that medium? So I'll give you an example. On TikTok, we don't want to seem too polished. So we bring a campaign like Wild Turkey, which we bring, you know, a very elevated, beautiful campaign and we change the assets slightly and kind of nuance them to be fitting for the platform,

[00:26:04] but still staying true, obviously, to the message and the brand. So it's really about being medium versed and thinking about how consumers interact with the platform. And then how do we, you know, bring our campaigns to light in that medium? So it's not so cookie cutter. It's very, very strategic in terms of how we roll those out. Mm-hmm. Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Makes sense that way. So one other aspect I'm curious about. So we're in this environment where you hear in the news every day about different economic

[00:26:31] pressures and different demographic segments. And you have to take that into account, I'm sure, as you're coming up with these new campaigns, right? And for the different products, but particularly when you're thinking about premium brands and premium products. And, you know, a few earlier, I'm particularly curious around like the ready to drink premium ones where again, you're asking for more share of wallet, right? For these at a time when consumers are being a little

[00:26:56] bit more specific and cautious about where they're placing those dollars. How do you go about finding the right balance there? Yes. And I think the notion of premiumization is interesting because we see it as premium equals value, right? So when people feel your brand is valuable to them, they will pay the money, right? They will purchase your products, right? But also consumers are more

[00:27:23] intentional as we just said. So I think for us, we balance the premiumness of the value we bring to the consumer with, you know, price and obviously the trade-up. So I'll give you an example. Espelon's a great example. So Espelon's our tequila, one of our biggest tequila brands, the fastest growing, one of the fastest growing premium tequilas in the U.S. over the past, you know, several years. And it's a very high quality, very, you know, has craftsmanship,

[00:27:49] but is accessible to people, right? And it's accessible. We have not, you know, we want it to be kind of the brand for the people, if that makes sense. And we want it to be democratized for everyone to enjoy it. So we balance that premiumness with making sure that we're accessible and approachable. And again, I think that, you know, bringing what's the value equation for the consumer? What experiences do we bring to them? How are we in culture that they see our brand as valuable to them as a consumer that they're willing to pay for?

[00:28:18] This is really interesting. My brain has been like, ever since we started prepping for this call for the podcast, my brain has just been cycling through what I know and what I don't know, and what I think is normal and what is not normal. And you think when you go out, I want that beverage experience. I want the fancy drink. I want that, like, I want the cute glass. But like, who am I kidding? I'm a complete lightweight. I can't handle it.

[00:28:47] It ruins my whole next day. And you just think it's been ingrained for long in like soda, water, beer, alcohol. I don't get that other thing. And this is just there's there's this other space now. There's this other beverage experience, this new drinking experience. I can have the fancy drink. I can have the fancy glass. I can have something that tastes absolutely delicious. And it's

[00:29:13] none of those things. Right, right. It is this whole new category that I just never considered it personally, non-alc. I just didn't even think that that's what the category was. That didn't even come into my mind until we're sitting here like reading and writing. It has really evolved. It has really evolved in non-alc space. Right. And I think what we've

[00:29:39] learned here at Campari, and you might not be aware, but we have what we call a Campari Academy here at the US office here. We also have a globally. Right. And we have a it's an entity that we have that it's been for several years, which is really driving education for our brands within the bartender community. Right. So the Academy has been for years talking about and educating on how we can bring elevated cocktail experiences to our bartenders and bartenders can then obviously bring

[00:30:09] them to consumers. They give them an elevated experience and it's not always have to be with an ABV or an alcohol attached to it. Right. So I think the industry has really, really evolved. And you go to restaurants now and bars and, you know, they're bringing it on and they're putting it on the menu to offer, you know, different experiences for people. So at Campari, we've been we've been thinking about this trend for a while and we bring a lot of bartenders and trade community here in the office in our Academy space to kind of play with cocktail concoctions,

[00:30:37] play with different flavors and to be able to deliver that to their bars and therefore, obviously, to our consumers and their patrons. Oh, fun. I need to go out and have drinks tonight. I've got to figure out what I'm ordering before we get off this podcast. What am I asking for? Looking ahead in 10 years, the spritz landscape could be could look radically different with functional drinks, premium non-alcoholic and

[00:31:02] culturally specific spirits all vying for this same share of glass. What does a thriving, exciting spirits industry look like to you in 2035? And do you think some of these consumer behaviors that are emerging are going to be critical for that to happen? Or do you think there's another shift coming? Yeah, I think it's a very dynamic environment. I think if you look 10 years ahead, I think we're

[00:31:30] going to see a much more inclusive industry in general, focused on moments of connections and occasions, not just drinks or products. Obviously, consumers wanting real world experiences, but offer also wanting a wide variety of offerings, which is where we are now, as I'm mentioning, right? Non-alcoholic high proof and consumers really, I think, imbibing and consuming in social

[00:31:56] occasions and experiences versus kind of just drinking for drinking sake, which might have been the, you know, kind of how the culture was many, many years ago. So which is great, right? It's really about human connection. It's really about people wanting to be together coming out of the pandemic. Of course, that's been exasperated. And for us, even as an Italian company at Campari, we've also seen what we call the appenditidi culture, which is the idea of everyone's first shared drink, which I mentioned before,

[00:32:25] is usually a Campari drink or a Aperol or a Spritz, which is a low ABD option to start your evening after a day of work or a day of school, right? With a little bit of food and being at the core of it is being social with people. And we see that as a trend as well, that hopefully will continue, which is so much nice. Yeah. I like, I love how that is framed in shape because it really is about the cultural moment, the experience and the occasion. And it feels like now, like an issue is

[00:32:52] coming together on helping consumers sort of expand that, right? And really deepen that relationship. So it really does become now a relationship with the brand versus it's just the alcohol on the shelf, which I think honestly is what years ago is what it came down to for most consumers. And now the things like we care more about the experience that it's bringing out by having that for like the aperitivo drink is creating the experience for us and helping to build it. So I think it really is

[00:33:17] more of an integration between brand and consumer than it ever was before. I put it, that's just going to continue to evolve and kind of grow from there. I'm wondering like if you were advising a brand strategist in this space today, right? On like where these things are going and how should, how should they place their big bets over these next few years to help grow the brand they're responsible for? You know, is there a particular type of activation, a particular marketing approach

[00:33:46] you think of, or a particular consumer behavior they should be really watching out for, latching onto and kind of leaning into, what would that be? What would you tell them? Yeah, I would say focus less on categories. If you're looking to launch brand or, you know, to obviously drive and grow a particular brand, less on categories and more on how consumers are

[00:34:10] evolving and also occasion first approach, right? Where do you want to reach consumers and how are they socializing today? And where does your brand fit into that versus coming at the brand and figuring out how to make them enjoy your brand, right? I think there's a little bit of a mindset shift there. And then I would say probably if you want to launch a big brand or you're working on a big brand, I mean, cultural resonance is a real big one. And that's the only way to have long-term success.

[00:34:39] Certain products, CPG products, obviously wine and spirits, the experiences that you give consumers are long lasting, if it's a good one, and it will stick with them, right? And it will help your brand in long term. Yeah. No, I think that's true. Just listening to you say that, I'm thinking about what are those brands that I would truly claim to have actual brand loyalty to? And for me, just given the space, I mean, there are some technology brands that I would say that for, but when I think in terms of

[00:35:06] CPG brands, it probably are spirits brands that are the ones that I would have the absolute most brand love for and relationship that I know I'm getting it. That's the brand. Don't give me another one. That's the one that I want because I know what it tastes like. I know what the experience is and there aren't that many categories where I think a lot of consumers can say that. Yeah. It's very interesting. This has been such an eye-opening discussion. Personally,

[00:35:30] my mind's a bit blown, but like I'm looking at an entire category that I think is completely aligned with me. I get the bougie drink and the fun experience and I haven't been, I haven't been doing this. So you've got a new customer over here for sure. I've got so much to learn. I will be following. So I will get that voice chair up by one at the end of the day. So thank you so much,

[00:35:58] Alison, for joining us today and sharing your deep experience and knowledge into the spirits and beverages industry for an industry with so much legacy brand value, which I love brand legacy. I love hundred year old brands. They mean the most to me in the world. There is certainly more happening here now than ever before. And I just find it very exciting. And there's so many lessons

[00:36:23] regardless of what industry you're in. This is such a winning recipe and it's completely proven. It just, sometimes you got to get out of your, out of your norm and take a glance and see what other industries and other categories are doing and how they're growing and how they connect to their consumers. This is super great. Thank you. Great. Thanks for having me. Yeah. No, I mean, I think Casey said it best where there's so much to learn from how you're building that brand

[00:36:52] relationship with consumers, how you're really integrating the cultural aspects to it. I really feel like it was just a great masterclass on how to do branding, which is one of my favorite topics. So thanks again for joining us. If anyone in our audience, Alison wants to reach out and connect with you, what's the best way for them to do that? Yeah, I'd probably say usual LinkedIn. Happy to, we get lots of, you know, we have a lot of brand fans, both from a business standpoint and consumer. So feel free to reach out. We're always happy to, to connect. Great. Thank you. Ricardo,

[00:37:21] this episode is a wrap. I know you love this episode. So drop us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or GoodPods. And if you're watching on YouTube, like, and subscribe before you go. I'm Casey Golden. Follow us on LinkedIn, Blue Sky Threads, and Instagram, and subscribe to our sub stack for highlights and bonus content. For transcripts and guest info,

[00:37:48] visit RetailRazor.com. I'm Ricardo Belmar. Thanks for joining us on the Retail Razor Show, part of the Retail Razor Podcast Network. Until next time, stay sharp, stay human, and stay ahead. This is the Retail Razor Show.