Columnist

Zero per cent - but maximum brand exposure

At this time of year, many might be looking forward to letting their hair down more often than they might.

A few drinks at the office party, catching up with family over a long, slow pre-Christmas Sunday lunch with a glass (or two) of red, or just settling down in front of a nostalgic festive film with your favourite tipple in hand.

Equally, some find this the most anxiety-inducing period of the year, where the social pressure to ‘just have one’ because it is Christmas is never more acute.

But in an increasingly more health-conscious society, low or no-alcohol beverages are in big demand. 

With 86 per cent of British pubs now selling low or no-alcohol alternatives to popular alcoholic drinks, and with national pub chain Stonegate Group reporting demand for low and non-alcoholic drinks rose 32 per cent in the first quarter of this year, this festive season bears all the hallmarks for being a record year for the movement away from the festive ‘spirits’.

The proliferation of zero per cent beer ads you’ll have seen on your TV might therefore be for very obvious reasons.

But there might well be a less altruistic motivation behind it. 

And it could be one of the smartest brand-building strategies happening right now.

Because these beverages aren’t classed as alcohol, it means they avoid nearly all the strict rules that govern where and when alcohol brands can advertise.

They don’t have to adhere to a watershed, there are no restrictions on audience and there is no limit on tone, creative approach or casting that might otherwise restrict these brands from advertising their more traditional alcoholic options. 

These brands have realised zero per cent variants are a legal doorway to full brand visibility.

And here’s the clever bit.

Although the product is alcohol-free, the branding is almost identical to the alcoholic range, meaning the entire brand benefits from year-round TV exposure without needing to jump through the regulatory hoops.

It’s halo branding through the back door, and we’re seeing it everywhere: Heineken 0.0, Guinness 0.0, Peroni 0.0, Corona Cero. They look almost identical to their esteemed alcoholic parents.

Smart marketers are using these ads as a proverbial TV battering ram, building mental availability, reinforcing brand memory structures and keeping the brand top of mind without ever mentioning alcohol.

For video producers like us, this has been a fascinating opportunity.

Now there is more demand for lifestyle and brand storytelling within TV advertising (and marketing in general), these beverage brands encounter fewer headaches about compliance, which leads to broader creative freedom and more opportunities to craft campaigns which will reach a larger audience. 

Regulation shapes creativity and the zero per cent alcohol market is shaping the way the biggest alcoholic beverage brands keep themselves front of mind through this advertising loophole.

Kevin Owens is co-founder and creative director at North East video production company YourFilm

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