It’s not hard to spot how this is reflected in alcohol choices.įor a time, hard seltzer was jokingly described as the second coming of hard soda. According to polling by the Hartman Group, 40% of Americans are conscious about calories in beverages (both non-alcoholic or alcoholic), and 62% said beverages play an important role in overall health and wellness. “The Beer Institute and the companies that have chosen to participate in the Brewers’ Voluntary Disclosure Initiative are providing real leadership in the alcohol beverage industry by voluntarily providing this information.”Īs it turns out, 2018 may have been a turning point in this wellness-minded effort. Bush’s Secretary of Health and Human Services said in the 2016 release announcing the pact. “American consumers are more informed than ever, and they want to know about the food and beverages that they are eating and drinking,” Tommy Thompson, George W. Sure, it was a decision based on shoppers’ preferences, but it was also a kind of power play that could preemptively avoid any government regulations down the road. It wasn’t just a move to get ahead of an oncoming trend, but also set the tone for future campaigns and shaped consumers’ expectations. The pledge had particular weight because, when combined, the companies produced about 81% of the volume of beer sold in the U.S. The four conglomerates promised to offer a list of facts, from calories to carbohydrates and protein, as well as freshness dating and ingredients. In 2016, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, Heineken USA, and Constellation Brands partnered with the Beer Institute, a trade organization that represents brewing companies of all sizes, on the “Voluntary Disclosure Initiative.” The agreement comprised a range of consumer-facing decisions, including greater transparency of nutritional information, which traditionally hasn’t been listed on beer products.
These moves for AB InBev, MillerCoors, and others, however, have much earlier beginnings. This year’s Super Bowl brought those ideas directly into the living rooms of American drinkers, with Bud Light’s ad calling out competitors' use of corn syrup (and any negative ideas the ingredient was supposed to bring with it) and Miller Lite’s new focus on directly comparing calories and carbs to its rival. Being more conscious of one's intake, moderation, and an overall more holistic view of health all registered as important themes for companies around the world. And what better teammate to learn a thing or two from than the company’s unstoppable force, Michelob Ultra? That brand has soared like a rocket ship on a variety of health-focused marketing pushes, creating a cultural zeitgeist around low-cal, low-carb beer while also changing the way people think about the product category overall.Īs market research companies looked ahead to 2019, one of the oft-predicted consumer trends was a renewed focus on health and wellness. A more business-oriented reason may be that, since reaching a packaged beer sales peak in 2014, Bud Light has lost almost 15% of its volume and in 2018 had its fourth-straight year-to-year decline, including its steepest during that span, losing 6.4% of volume from 2017-2018.īut perhaps one consideration is that AB InBev, faced with a variety of sales problems, really needs a win for its flagship brand. The official party line is that it’s for the sake of transparency, which makes sense when Andy Goeler, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s vice president of marketing for Bud Light, notes that consumers have become used to seeing nutrition labels on so many other products. Big plays, smart moves, and otherwise curious indicators of beer's possible future. From Barons to Barrels with Captain Pabst.Message in a Bottle with Brewery Ommegang.Beer is Labor with East Brother Beer Co.Let Go or Get Dragged by Jerard Fagerberg.Ferments at Low Temps by Stephanie Byce.