S6E6 Campari America's Allison Varone on mindful drinking, Gen Z, and the new rules of beverage brand building
Everyone keeps repeating that Gen Z doesn't drink. The data tells a far more interesting story, and this episode unpacks it.
In this episode of The Retail Razor Show, Ricardo Belmar and Casey Golden sit down with Allison Varone, Head of Marketing at Campari America, for a genuine masterclass in beverage brand building. With more than 20 years across the wine and spirits industry, Allison leads marketing for one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world: Aperol, Campari, Wild Turkey, Courvoisier, Grand Marnier, Espolòn Tequila, and the newly US-launched Crodino, a non-alcoholic spritz beloved in Italy since 1965.
This conversation goes beyond the headlines about the spirits industry to explore the cultural shifts, strategic bets, and marketing instincts behind some of the most recognizable drinks in the world, and what they mean for anyone building consumer brands in 2026.
What We Cover
· How Gen Z is redefining drinking culture, and why mindful drinking is a growth opportunity for the spirits industry rather than a threat
· The "zebra striping" trend: how consumers now bounce between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages depending on the occasion
· Crodino's US launch and the strategic timing behind Campari America's move into the non-alcoholic spirits space
· Why occasion-led marketing has replaced category-first brand thinking across the beverage industry
· What Aperol's Coachella activation and Negroni Week reveal about experiential marketing ROI
· How Wild Turkey's "Don't Change a Damn Thing" campaign keeps a heritage brand culturally relevant on TikTok
· The real playbook for challenger brands trying to break through a crowded beverage market
· What premiumization actually means when consumers are cautious, and how Espolòn Tequila balances premium with accessible
· Inside the Campari Academy and how bartender education becomes a competitive advantage
· A bold look at the spirits industry in 2035: more inclusive, more occasion-led, and centered on human connection
A Standout Idea from This Episode
Allison's advice to brand strategists was refreshingly direct: focus less on categories and more on how consumers are actually evolving. Lead with the occasion, then figure out where your brand fits into that moment. That is brand strategy advice that travels far beyond the spirits industry.
Whether you work in retail, brand marketing, CPG, or you are simply curious about how culture shapes consumer behavior, this episode delivers insight you can use immediately.
This Episode is Brought to You By RetailClub.
Join 2,000 retail leaders at RetailClub AI Festival, September 22–24 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 and up to $1,250 in travel reimbursement. Head to retailclub.com to learn more. https://retailclub.com/retail-razor-podcast
Subscribe & Follow
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5‑star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Goodpods. Subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode and check out the other shows in the Retail Razor Podcast Network: Retail Transformers, Blade to Greatness, and Data Blades.
Subscribe to the Retail Razor Podcast Network: https://retailrazor.com/
Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://retailrazor.substack.com
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://go.retailrazor.com/utube
About our Guest
Allison Varone, Head of Marketing, Campari America.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-varone-4650901/
https://www.camparigroup.com/en
Allison Varone is Head of Marketing at Campari America, a growing powerhouse group in the U.S. spirits market. A seasoned executive, leader and strategist, she has more than 20 years of experience driving growth, market share and profitability for both large and small brands. She joined Campari America in 2024 and previously served as Vice President of Channel and Customer Marketing, where she lead Campari America to some of its greatest partnerships and campaigns, including Negroni Week for Campari, SKYY Vodka for PRIDE, Courvoisier Bring Your Own Courvoisier campaign and Aperol as a sponsor of the U.S. Open and the official Spritz Partner at Coachella.
Chapters
00:00 Opening Teaser
00:49 Show Intro
06:02 Welcome Allison Varone
07:23 Gen Z & Mindful Drinking Culture
09:09 Non-Alc Innovation & Product Strategy
12:46 Occasion-Led Marketing & Coachella
14:39 Shifts in Consumer Behavior
17:02 Spanning Generations Across the Portfolio
19:26 Measuring Activation Impact
21:27 Advice for Challenger Brands
24:33 Honoring Heritage Brands
26:22 Premiumization & Value
28:18 The Campari Academy & Elevated Experiences
30:53 The Spirits Industry in 2035
33:17 Advice for Brand Strategists
35:27 Wrap-Up
37:23 Show Close
Meet your hosts
Helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:
Ricardo Belmar is an NRF Top Retail Voice for 2025 and a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2021 – 2026. Thinkers 360 has named him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Retail, a Top 25 Thought Leader in AGI and Careers, a Top 50 Thought Leader in Agentic AIand Management, and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Digital Transformation and Transformation. Thinkers 360 also named him a Top Digital Voice for 2024 and 2025. He is an advisory council member at George Mason University’s Center for Retail Transformationand the Retail Cloud Alliance. He was most recently the partner marketing leader for retail & consumer goods in the Americas at Microsoft.
Casey Golden, is the North America Leader for Retail & Consumer Goods at CI&T, and CEO of Luxlock. She is a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert from 2023 - 2026, and Retail Cloud Alliance advisory council member. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, Casey is obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer and is slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech!
Music
Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, and E-Motive from the album Beat Hype, written by Heston Mimms, published by Imuno.