Category: Product Innovation & Development
Special Effects, Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer (2019)
The Brief: Brooklyn Brewery sought to expand into new categories, leveraging emerging health & wellness and other innovative consumer trends.
The Goal: Launch a non-alcoholic beer brand that positioned the lack of alcohol as a lifestyle & wellness benefit, working against years of stigma against non-alcoholic beers.
Project Stats: Brooklyn Special Effects Non-Alcoholic Brew
Novel category leadership: developing data-driven, wellness-forward non-alcoholic beer
Timing: 2019 - 2020 (active work), deliverables still in market
Required:
Deliverables
Wins
Global Market-Ready, Scalable Product Line: Special Effects needed to scale across Brooklyn Brewery's 5-continent global territory. It also needed to create a category, while also introducing a stand-alone introductory product.
Data-driven brand strategy: Build a compelling brand strategy that re-wrote the appeal of non-alcoholic beer from people in recovery to people seeking a wellness-based lifestyle.
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Conducted consumer and industry research on 3 continents to better understand market and positioning opportunities.
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Identified commercial leverage points to build brand around with strong lifestyle tie-ins.
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Crafted specialized consumer and industry messaging and education to re-establish the non-alcoholic beer category as an entry point for the beer and a future full-product line.
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Secured pre-market major retailer buy-in to fast-track launch of additional in the non-alcoholic product line, such as Special Effects IPA, based on demonstrating early success.
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Surpassed 12-month forecast for volume within 6 months of US launch.
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Rolled out additional products to the full product line, including other flavors and packing formats to expand market presence.
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Check out Fast Company's article on Special Effects and the rise of non-alcoholic beer with it's ties to the wellness industry. Parliament is quoted (as Kaitie Lynch)
photo credit: Brooklyn Brewery