Last year, Four Loko took the beverage industry by storm when the company went viral due to the spread of word-of-mouth on college and University campuses. The success of Four Loko established an untapped and underserved market among young drinkers for fruit-flavored, high alcohol content beverages.
Last month, Colt 45, owners of Pabst Blue Ribbon, announced the launch of Blast by Colt 45, a 12% ABV malt liquor featuring a variety of fruity flavors, including strawberry lemonade, raspberry watermelon, blueberry pomegranate and grape. If those multiple flavors weren’t enticing enough, the company also announced that rapper Snoop Dogg would serve as Blast by Colt 45’s spokesperson in print, television, social media and live music marketing.
The company has already begun sponsoring concerts that feature giveaways of the beverage along with other promotional items like t-shirts and hats. Snoop has also released a Blast by Colt 45 sponsored mixtape entitled ‘PuffPassTuesday.’ Check out the video to see behind the scenes clips of Blast’s first promotional photoshoot.
Photo Credits: Colt 45's Facebook FanPage
What's Driving This Trend
- Fruit-flavored Alcoholic Beverages
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a line of fruit-flavored alcoholic beverages targeted at young drinkers in an untapped market.
- Celebrity Endorsements in Beverage Marketing
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilize celebrity endorsements, like Snoop Dogg, to attract attention and increase brand recognition in the beverage industry.
- Concert Sponsorship and Promotional Giveaways
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Partner with concert events to provide promotional giveaways and create brand awareness among the target audience.
Who This Affects Most
- Beverage
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop new and innovative beverage products that cater to the growing demand for fruit-flavored and high alcohol content options.
- Marketing and Advertising
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore unique marketing strategies, such as celebrity endorsements and social media campaigns, to differentiate your brand in the competitive beverage industry.
- Entertainment and Events
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborate with entertainment events and sponsorships to create experiential marketing opportunities and reach a wider audience.
