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.
Shifting focus from youth to longevity
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. Established alcohol 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.
How influence spreads through groups
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.
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. This wider spread means a strategy focused on one narrow demographic is essentially leaving potential sales on the table.
Instead of trying to appeal to a specific age bracket, companies should look at how to make their product work within the shared social spaces where different generations mix. The focus shifts from targeting a specific group to creating a product that fits into existing social structures. It is a shift from “who buys this” to “where is this bought and consumed”.
Evolution through adaptation, not replacement
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.
Building identities that travel
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. When a company ignores its history to chase the latest trend, it loses the trust that has been built over years. The brands that survive the next phase of market shifts are likely to be the ones that respect their past while finding new ways to be present in the present.
