Diageo Global Travel reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the responsible consumption of alcohol during a discussion around positive drinking in the first of its ‘Sunset Sessions’ in Cannes yesterday evening.
Moderated by Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt, the panel included Diageo Global Travel Marketing and Innovation Director Dafydd Pugh Williams; Caleno Commercial Director Ollie Palmer; and Gate Group Global Retail Director Zoe Farmer.
Pugh Williams said: “Responsible consumption is core to how we market and promote our brands, drinking better not more is always the goal. Our brands have been part of people’s celebrations and gifting for generations.
“We make them with pride – and they are made to be enjoyed responsibly. Promoting moderation and addressing the harmful use of alcohol is not only the right thing to do – it is an essential part of our performance ambition.
“Another part of this work is providing consumers with options to either pace or balance their drinking or to have something non-alcoholic when they choose not to drink.
“The low and no alcohol drink phenomenon is a hugely exciting development of the past five years and has been accelerating in the past 18 months. Consumers are looking for luxury in this category and we are providing it.”
Williams outlined some of Diageo’s successful responsible drinking campaigns. He said: “Having a Tanqueray 0.0% G&T, for example, is more rewarding and sophisticated than having a soft drink – it’s a balance between education and inspiration.”
He continued: “We’re seeing a real shift in the industry, moving from negative campaigns trying to stop people doing something which say, ‘don’t drink’, ‘don’t do this’.
“We have seen in consumer research that when you have a positive message, which is more around encouragement and, in the case of Tanqueray, a ‘holiday to remember’ theme, that reframe actually has a lot of cut through. Using the brand as a platform, we reached 39 million people last year with that kind of messaging.”
Asked about the challenges of getting more shelf space for no-alcohol brands in airport retail, Pugh Williams replied: “We recognise the shelves aren’t elastic, so you have to earn your right to win. So when you have brands like Tanqueray 0.0% that have a proposition that’s compelling and consumer related, then it earns its right to be there and it’s not just a ‘nice to have’.”
Ollie Palmer said with no-alcohol brands going mainstream, “the shelves are starting to open up. I’m starting to see it within global travel, which is really exciting.”
Palmer added a dose of realism, noting that in the UK off-trade, no alcohol brands count for just 1% of spirits sold. He said: “I think we’re just scratching the surface… we’re only just starting.”
However, he pointed to positive wider trends, noting that one in three of Gen Z are now teetotal, and one in four millennials are now not drinking alcohol. “They’re coming through,” he said. “They still want to go out, they still want to have a good time, but they don’t want to drink alcohol. So they’re looking for other substitutes with sophisticated flavours.”
To capitalise on this, Palmer said “there has to be a category approach. I don’t think one individual brand alone can do it. Messaging is so important, only then will people start to sit up and listen, and you can actually drive real change.”
Zoe Farmer said: “This is a hugely exciting space. The no-and-lower alcohol movement is complimentary to the alcohol category. Social occasions are becoming increasingly diverse and we want to cater for those who choose not to drink alcohol as well as those who do. We believe in delivering the best guest experience and providing choice to consumers for different occasions.”
She underlined the need for industry collaboration. “For us, partnership is more important than anything, so whether that be Diageo, or whether it’s the airline partners that we work with, we really need to get into the DNA of this category to maximise the opportunities and point towards where we want to be going for the future. Partnership is absolutely critical.”
A strong attendance of people from the travel retail industry enjoyed their choice of sundowner cocktail as they watched this event take place in the Beach Village at the Majestic Beach Bar in Cannes, next to Diageo’s exhibition space and 0.0 alcohol bar.
The next Sunset Session takes place this evening, Tuesday 4 October, at 5-5.45pm on the beach next to Beach Village 1 at Majestic Beach Bar.
The topic of discussion will be Sustainable brand action for travel retail. Panellists include Bailey’s Global Brand Director Jennifer English; Nestlé International Travel Retail Head of Marketing Tamara Spada; and Aer Rianta International Chief Operations and Business Development Officer Nuno do Amaral.
TFWA visitors can also check out Diageo’s exhibition space and 0.0 alcohol bar at the Beach Village, Majestic Beach until Thursday 6 October.
