Consumers purchase beverage-related gifts during the holidays

Beverage brands unleash holiday marketing campaigns

The holidays are here, and time with family and friends spent over food and drinks is a big part of many gatherings. Beverage brands also hop on the holiday bandwagon by displaying festive flavors in brightly colored packaging to entice consumers.

Beverages and brand merchandise often are given as gifts by busy consumers grappling to find the right item. A bottle of wine, alcohol gift boxes with glassware, gift sets with hot chocolate and snacks, or books about beer, mixology or a favorite spirit can be the perfect gift for the foodies out there. For whisky lovers, “Spirit of Place: Scotland’s Great Whisky Distilleries” by Charles MacLean takes readers on a tour of Scotland’s 50 finest distilleries and features more than 250 photographs.

Recognizing the importance of marketing during the holidays, beverage brands offer special seasonal promotions to get consumers, literally, in the spirit. For example, Heineken USA’s Tecate Light launched a 360-degree marketing campaign encouraging consumers to “Eat. Sleep. Celebra. Repeat. With Tecate Light This Holiday Season.”

Holidays and holiday parties also bring out the inner mixologist in many consumers, and beverage-makers are making it easier for them to craft their own cocktails this season. “Be Mixed,” a new line of all-natural, zero-calorie cocktail mixers, pairs with a variety of spirits (vodka, whiskey, beer) or seltzer, making it simple to prepare cocktails or mocktails at a holiday party. Available in three flavors — Ginger Lime, Margarita and Cucumber Mint — the mixers include a touch of natural sweetness from monk fruit.

Enjoy the holidays by making memories with family and friends over great food and beverages.

Barbara Harfmann, managing editor of Beverage Industry, visits beverage companies for cover stories and facility tours, and writes and edits for the magazine’s print and online components. She also represents the magazine at trade shows and events. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications and Public Relations from Illinois State University.