A new study into the behaviour of early adopters – the wave of consumers that is among the first to accept a new product – shows that drinks brands need to make fundamental changes to their strategy, according to the company that published it.
Protein investigated early adopter behaviour in the bar environment and found that only 12% of early adopters were swayed by packaging design when purchasing an alcoholic drink. Celebrity endorsements also appeared to be losing their importance, with just 5% of respondents finding celebrity endorsements attractive when purchasing an alcoholic drink.
Provenance is becoming increasingly important to early adopters – almost twice as many stated locally sourced produce as an important factor compared to the cost – while 45% of early adopters claimed that they were more inclined to purchase alcohol of high calibre when ordering at the bar.
Factors that appeal to early adopters (alcohol brands) in full:
The big picture, Protein said, showed that early adopters are beginning to expect much more from alcoholic drinks brands.
“They want to be caught off guard with unorthodox creative thinking,” Protein said. “76% said the idea of organisations going in unexpected directions or setting up surprising collaborations appeals to them. They are beginning to miss the friction and real human experience that comes from solving logistical issues with old-fashioned brain power; 83% feel they value a product or service more if they had to put the work in to receive it.”
A majority of early adopters prefer to spend money on an experience over products and believe that brands have a moral obligation to improve the world, said Protein, which helps to connect brands with the audiences they’re targeting.
Protein CEO William Rowe said: “While it maybe surprising to see how little packaging design plays in swaying a decision to purchase along with celebrity endorsement in the drinks space, the reasons why become clearer when our findings highlight early adaptors are looking at the bigger picture when it comes to their relationships with brands.
“Our 2016 Report reveals early adopters want to have relationships with brands that are proactive in improving the world. Secondly, this audience increasingly value the opportunity to better themselves through real life activity and experiences. Thirdly, marketers must have the courage to create daring, unpredictable and proactive campaigns, as this is the only way to make a real impact. Lastly, early adopters want brands to challenge them – put the ball into their court and let them seek out and discover engagement or products rather than have everything paraded under their nose.
“Overall, global adopters are entering a new phase of their evolution. They’ve gone from making the best of a world that’s often against them, to being proactive in reshaping it into something more positive.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024