Nineteen per cent of people today consider themselves sober curious, and 28% of 'college-aged' Americans have decided to go teetotal. As sobriety, or simply opting out of alcohol occasionally, becomes more mainstream, the hyper-fragmented market of alcohol is driven by the rise of no and low-alcohol alternatives.
It's no question that zero alcohol is having a breakthrough moment. A recent case in point: Heineken went all in to hype its longstanding 0% beer with a primetime spot in the Super Bowl ad lineup – the brand has never before made its no-alc variant the hero piece of such a big campaign, underscoring the very clear shift in the drinks market.
"But just because people choose to drink less, does not mean they want to sacrifice on experience," noted John Matthews, senior strategy director at BrandOpus, adding, "and with this widening category, new and established players are filling the white space with innovation that blurs wellbeing with alcohol."