3X WAYS BOOZE BRANDS ARE SWITCHING UP STRATEGY

Alcohol brands, particularly long-standing heritage names, have long relied on tried and tested strategies. Showing up in the same bars, targeting the same stereotypical consumer, and reflecting this through every touchpoint. Occasionally, a shiny limited edition might appear to lure in the younger crowd - but that’s often the extent of it.

But as drinking declines and culture becomes more fragmented, those traditional approaches aren’t enough to sustain relevance. Brands that have long played by set rules are now finding new ways to show up in culture - more embedded, more expressive, and more present in everyday life.

These three behaviours show how booze brands are moving beyond the dated playbook - and into culture itself.

BECOMING WEARABLE CULTURE

Fashion and alcohol crossing isn’t new. Over the years we’ve seen booze brands dip into merch, from logo-heavy capsules to the occasional standout collab. But often, these moments have felt surface-level – branding applied to garments, or a designer name stamped onto a bottle label. What’s changing is a shift from merch to meaning. And, somewhat unexpectedly, Guinness is leading the charge.

Guinness is an icon – instantly recognisable, widely loved, and deeply embedded in culture. But now, it’s showing up in an entirely new space. Leaning into fashion, the brand is carving out a new strategic pillar that feels both unexpected and culturally fluent. Through collaborations with the likes of JW Anderson, Lazy Oaf and Percival, Guinness is stretching across multiple fashion tiers – from hype streetwear to high fashion.

Crucially, it works because Guinness already has such a distinct visual language. Rather than forcing relevance, it’s treating the brand like a design archive. Each collab draws from the same core – brewery workwear, pub rituals, Irish identity and diaspora. It’s why the drops don’t feel like lazy licensing, but reinterpretation.

The result is a fresh way for a highly established brand to cut through - showing up across social feeds and cultural platforms in a way that feels elevated and genuinely noteworthy.

EMBEDDING INTO UNEXPECTED ENVIRONMENTS

Alcohol brands tend to rely on controlled environments - bars, events and curated brand spaces where context is predictable and audiences are intentional. But increasingly, brands are stepping outside of their go-to haunts, showing up in places that feel far less expected – and far more culturally alive.

Johnnie Walker is a brand deeply associated with a polished, premium world. Think sharp tailoring, cinematic storytelling and global icons. Which is why seeing it embedded within underground music culture in Manchester feels so unexpected.

Splashed across posters, lineups and grassroots venues within the city’s creative quarter, Johnnie Walker’s “Keep Walking Live” platform shows up not as a distant sponsor, but as something much closer to the scene itself. Aligning with local energy and emerging talent, it feels refreshingly less controlled.

This approach borrows authenticity and cultural capital that can’t be manufactured. It allows the brand to soften a historically controlled, heritage-led image while maintaining its core equity and signalling contemporary relevance.

SHIFTING TOWARDS CULTURAL CONSUMPTION

When it comes to the liquid inside the bottle, booze brands have typically separated product from culture. Focus has largely been placed on building meaning through campaigns and partnerships, while the liquid itself remains unchanged. But that line is starting to blur.

The recent collaboration between Absolut and Tabasco is a clear example. At first glance, it reads like a typical cultural pairing - unexpected, attention-grabbing, designed to spark conversation. All the ingredients of a short-lived, internet-hyped collab. But beneath that sits something more strategic. This isn’t just a limited drop, but a new product built using real Tabasco pepper mash, capitalising on the growing demand for flavour-led spirits.

Rather than using culture to promote a product, Absolut is embedding culture directly into it. Tapping into rising demand for bold flavours, this match up reframes vodka as something more expressive and occasion-specific.

And importantly, it works because the pairing makes sense. Tabasco is already hand in hand with vodka culture through the Bloody Mary, making the collaboration feel less like a gimmick and more like an evolution.

So what reads as a talkable moment is actually a deeper strategic shift - from using culture as communication, to using it to reshape the liquid itself.

Words by Ella Palmer, Culture.

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