DRY JANUARY

A cultural phenomenon

Taylor Berry, vice president of brand marketing said it had launched the campaign because Dry January has now become “a little bit of a cultural phenomenon”, while the campaign helps the brand “be present throughout”.

So, the impact of Dry January is strong and growing, and even if consumers aren’t participating, they’re most certainly aware of it. But for low and no brands, is a 31 day non-drinking challenge still the most positive way to promote something non-alc brand owners need to be a year-round habit? Or does it encourage consumers to treat the month as a fad, confining low and no products and the opportunity to effectively market them to just a short period of time?

In fairness, the event isn’t owned by brands. It is first and foremost a health campaign from a charity looking to prevent alcohol harm, that brands have piggybacked upon. And to be fair, Alcohol Concern UK have tried to extend the season. There’s also, of course, Sober October. And now, launched in 2022, Sober Spring, whereby consumers are challenged to quit alcohol for three whole months from March. Undoubtedly all are noble and worthy efforts to help consumers achieve balance in their lives, especially those prone to alcohol abuse.

A useful focal point?

But is it still right, or even useful for brands to focus their promotional efforts on the event? Much of that depends on how consumers view Dry January themselves. Namely, is it a time to form a routine that will last? Research suggests that actually, yes it is. In a study of participants in a controlled Dry Jan experiment published by the British Journal of General Practice72% of participants had sustained reduced levels of harmful drinking (drinking over recommended limits) for six months after completing a month alcohol free. This suggests that for brands that get consumers to trial them during this time, its likely consumers will continue to engage with them. Which is of course, is good news.

But it's worth remembering too how far the non-alc sector has come since its inception just eight short years ago. According to new data published by the IWSR, no- and low-alcohol beer/cider, wine, spirits, and ready-to-drink (RTD) products grew by more than +7% in volume across 10 key global markets in 2022, with its growth set to speed up in future years. Its prediction for consumption to increase by a third by 2026 is being driven by the growth of no-alcohol products, it says. But also, because these products are gradually becoming more embedded in people’s lifestyles.

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