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As moderation becomes a behaviour shared across generations rather than one driven by Gen Z alone, alcohol brands have an opportunity to rethink how they build relevance. Thomas Holliday, strategy director at Design Bridge and Partners, argues that the strongest brands will be those that evolve their heritage instead of reinventing themselves for every new audience.
For years, the drinks industry has worked from a familiar assumption – if you want to secure future growth, you need to win over younger consumers. New campaigns, products, partnerships and visual identities have often been justified by one goal: staying relevant to the next generation. But the conversation around alcohol is changing. The idea that Gen Z is solely responsible for the rise of moderation is beginning to unravel as it becomes a behaviour that cuts across generations. Recent research even suggests that Baby Boomers are reducing their alcohol consumption too.
Heritage is a competitive advantage, not a constraint
For established alcohol brands, relevance is often framed as a question of reinvention. Every few years there is pressure to refresh identities, chase emerging trends or reposition the brand image for younger audiences.
The problem is that this overlooks one of the industry's greatest assets. Heritage brands already possess something that newer competitors spend decades trying to create. They have memory, meaning and cultural recognition. People know them, trust them and associate them with moments that matter.
These connections are incredibly valuable because they reduce the effort required for consumers to recognise and choose a brand. Yet too often, businesses risk weakening those associations in pursuit of appearing younger or more contemporary.
Influence does not belong to one generation
One of the biggest misconceptions in marketing is that trends remain confined to the audience that first adopts them. In reality, behaviours spread through families, friendship groups and workplaces. Wellness offers a clear example. What may begin with young consumers increasingly finds its way into households where parents, adults, children and grandparents influence one another's purchasing decisions and daily habits.
The same is true for moderation. While there have been findings around Gen Z’s drinking behaviour, choosing lower alcohol options or drinking less altogether is not just a behaviour led by the younger generation. It is becoming part of a wider cultural conversation shaped by health, lifestyle and changing social expectations. For alcohol brands, this changes the challenge. Rather than creating separate identities for different age groups, they should be asking how their brand can resonate across the moments where generations overlap.
People don’t always experience brands by themselves. They recommend drinks to friends, bring bottles to family gatherings, celebrate together and share rituals across age groups. Influence trickles down through these groups, meaning it's not defined by demographics.
Brands designed around shared recognition are much more resilient than those built around chasing a single generation.
Evolve the brand, not its foundations
Strong brands are built through consistent and distinctive assets that accumulate value over time.
Logos, colours, typography, packaging, symbols and even rituals all contribute to building memory that creates impact.
When these assets are repeatedly discarded in favour of whatever feels on trend, brands lose more than visual consistency. They slowly wear away the distinctions consumers rely on when making purchasing decisions.
Successful evolution starts by understanding which assets already carry meaning and finding ways to express them in modern contexts. For example, canned cocktails have seen a surge in popularity, with MOTH bringing in £11 million as demand continues to rise. Legacy brands such as Jack Daniel's have tapped into this lucrative sector, packaging their much-loved classic spirit and mixer combinations into sleek canned formats.
They adapted a familiar product, making it relevant to changing consumer habits while retaining the distinctive cues that people already know and trust. It's a reminder that the most effective brand evolution doesn't come from abandoning what made a brand successful, but from reimagining how those existing assets can continue to create value in an evolving market.
Build brands beyond demographics
The drinks industry has always adapted to changing consumer expectations, and it will continue to do so. But today's challenge is less about capturing one generation than understanding how behaviour moves between them.
Brands that continue to divide audiences into increasingly narrow demographic groups are missing the mark. The opportunity now is to create identities and experiences that travel naturally across generations while remaining rooted in what makes the brand distinctive.
Heritage should not be viewed as something to overcome in the pursuit of relevance. It is often the very reason a brand remains relevant in the first place.
