Case Study

From Afterthought to Centrepiece: Making Premium Drinks Memorable at Christmas

At Christmas, food dominates shoppers’ attention, and drinks often become an afterthought. A premium drinks brand needed to find a way to stand out and compete against the overwhelming focus on festive food shopping.

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My actions

- Conducted consumer and shopper insight research to understand how people plan and purchase drinks during the Christmas season.

- Discovered a key behavioural barrier: shoppers don’t naturally remember drinks unless they are told how to drink them and when.

- Translated this insight into a clear strategy — positioning the brand around cocktail serves and drinking occasions.

- Partnered with marketing to develop a TV campaign that showcased simple cocktail serves, ran year‑round to build memory, and linked the brand to popular cocktail moments.

- Leveraged Christmas micro‑moments (e.g., parties, gifting, festive hosting) to reinforce the association between the brand and seasonal drinking occasions.

Results

- The campaign successfully shifted shopper behaviour by making the brand top‑of‑mind at key moments.

- The drinks brand became strongly associated with popular cocktail serves, increasing both seasonal and year‑round relevance.

- The initiative demonstrated how consumer insight can uncover hidden behavioural barriers and inspire creative campaigns that drive both brand memorability and sales.