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Jägermeister Enters a New Era

October 8, 2013 No Comments

Jägermeister, a brand icon for decades, has just introduced a product extension called Jägermeister Spice. The product combines vanilla and cinnamon spices with the original Jägermeister ingredients. It will be available nationally in limited quantities starting this month.

Interesting – a limited edition spirit product. Wonder what they have in mind?

Regardless, from the handful of people I asked to taste the product, the results were very positive. “It’s perfect for this time of year…it’s like eating a holiday spiced cake.” One woman described it as “Jäeger’s softer, kinder relative.”

I think they have a winner here. It’s easy to drink; fun tasting and can go wherever the original product goes in those special Jäger occasions. But, the appeal moves it further along in the drinker’s repertoire. In that regard, the folks at Jägermeister have stayed true to the cardinal rule of product extensions – “feed the brand, don’t eat the brand.” In other words, I think it will bring new users, lapsed users and new occasions to the franchise. All without alienating those original round of Jäger shots moments.

As to the limited edition aspect, the company says that this first ever product extension will be limited to 100,000 cases this winter. The brand sells around 3 million cases so it’s a drop in the bucket.

Why limited edition?

One cynical industry observer thought that if the extension doesn’t work, they wouldn’t damage the base brand. It will just disappear. I’m not buying that.

I think that the best way to grow a franchise without denigrating the core audience is to periodically introduce seasonal or other temporary variations that – pardon the expression – spice things up and adds innovation to the mix. Perhaps we can expect a spring or summer variant. Or, maybe Spice will stick around.

Adam Rosen, EVP Marketing (and a smart, innovative one at that) summed the effort up –

“Jägermeister Spice offers both new drinkers and our longtime fans an innovative product that can be enjoyed in any setting. Whether served neat or mixed with cola, Spice offers new experiences and drinking occasions while delivering the same quality spirit that Jägermeister is known for.”

Looks like Jägermeister Spice is about to join the holiday festivities.

Southern Comfort’s Next Chapter — Does the new ad work?

June 11, 2013 1 Comment

Southern Comfort has launched the next chapter in the “Whatever’s Comfortable” campaign that I have been following for about a year (Aug14 and Dec19, 2012 as well as Jan 17, 2013). So far, according to Brown Forman, sales trends have turned around by 6% and the brand grew for the first time since 2008.

This latest effort marks a change in character from the original award winning effort, “Beaches,” which featured an interesting, everyday guy comfortable in his own skin as he casually walks down the beach. Here is the original.

The new ad execution has a different character but the same attitude. “We want to champion consumers to ‘be their awesome selves’ and that attitude comes out through this work,” said Mark Bacon, SVP, Managing Director, Southern Comfort. “We’re comfortable being Southern Comfort and we want our consumers to embody that same attitude about themselves.”

Here’s the ad by Wieden + Kennedy. I enjoyed the original ad a great deal but this one works for me as well.

What do you think? (You can also find it here.)

Do different types of liquor have different effects on you?

May 23, 2013 5 Comments

Fact or fiction? Physiological or psychological?

What do you think?

I’ve been researching this topic lately and have been thinking about it ever since I got into the booze business.

When you talk to consumers, many have clear cut answers such as, “tequila makes me crazy,” “whiskey makes me angry,” “gin makes me sad, must be the junipers.” My favorite, that I found online, is… “I’m allergic to tequila. Last time I drank it, I broke out in handcuffs.”

Whether in focus groups or with friends, these beliefs are strongly held and generally tied back to a memorable occasion. Usually, it’s based on a particular episode of, ahem, being over-served or the maiden drinking voyage. But, misconceptions play a big role – there is nothing in juniper to lead to sadness and even if there were, the distillation process would eliminate it. Similarly, the agave plant from which mescal is distilled (tequila is a type of mescal) has nothing to do with mescaline.

Sorry folks, alcohol is alcohol. The differences one experiences from different types of liquor (and alcohol in general) have, in my opinion, little or nothing to do with the liquor itself. There are many other factors at work.

What about the congeners (the substance produced during fermentation of alcoholic beverages)? While red wine and dark spirits have the greatest amount, they are present to different degrees in white spirits. They also are more related to the morning after than getting you to slur, “I love you man” during an evening’s indulgence.

How about the mixers used as a possible explanation for the difference? Tequila is consumed as a shot half the time and with sugar laden margarita mixers the other half – do these play a role? Rum mixed with juices, sugar or cola can affect the impact. Maybe it’s the tonic in your G&T.

I think the culprit is the mood, occasion and situation you are in while drinking. If you’re planning to get hammered, or the situation calls for it, you will. If it’s been a tough day and you’re looking to unwind and mellow, what you choose to drink will have that result.

So, in effect, it’s in your mind rather than in your glass or bottle.

Here’s something that sums it up. I found it online at io9, a blog by Gawker media:

…The question of whether mixers or congeners affect our experiences with different alcohols seems almost inconsequential; if you wholeheartedly believe that a tequila is your one way ticket to Bedlam, there’s probably not a whole lot that can be said to convince you – or your body – otherwise.

What do you think?