How Real People Feel About No/Low Alcohol drinks

It’s that time of year again. Having overdone it at Christmas, an estimated 8.5 million Brits will be abstaining from alcohol for the month of January – the biggest Dry January yet. More than a quarter of the “sober curious” want to cut down all year.

It’s become such a fixture in the marketing calendar that other categories have started getting in on the act, even going so far as to be official partners, such as Walkers Baked being the snack of choice.

It’s a curiously British thing Dry January – invented here then exported to Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Iceland, France, Italy the Netherlands and the US. Though the UK consumes less alcohol than the EU average it has a famously worse relationship with it, due in part to traditional differences. Most Europeans go out to eat and may have a drink. Brits go out to drink and may have some food. Or a kebab.

Summary.

• Laddy teasing has been replaced with understanding

• No/Lows allow people to participate socially

• People "get" beer & wine, but the occasion for zero spirits is less clear

• Prices are at the right level, as long as they stay cheaper than booze

• Social norming helps people take the leap into trying something new

People don't take the piss anymore.

The good news is that growth of the category has coincided (and/or driven) a cultural change in the acceptance of drinking non-alcoholic alternatives. Largely thanks to improved tastes, flavours and varieties, as well as an increasingly health conscious and alcohol aware public, the category is no longer as stigmatised. The laddish 90s and 00s way of calling out those who aren’t drinking has been replaced by a gentler understanding that it’s OK not to drink and to not ask about it.

“The early ones were awful, but now you’ve got some incredible options. They’re great for balancing health and fun.” – Audrey, 38

“I think it’s more accepted now than before.” - Jaq, 57

“I never used to be a believer in Dry Jan. Be dry, be boring! But my perception has changed massively.”- Jason, 45

“I think it’s changed over time. In the past people who didn’t drink just wouldn’t go to the pub, but now they can.” - Simmi, 45

No/lows remove the pressure to drink and allow you to participate socially.

Anyone who has done Dry January will know that it’s easier to do in January than other months because you’re simply not going out as much. If you want a real challenge, try Dry December. The real beauty of having quality no/low alcohol drinks is they not only remove the pressure to drink, but they allow people to continue to participate in social situations, where before they may previously have felt excluded, uncomfortable, or unwanted.

“It’s important to take part still, otherwise you feel miserable when you can’t participate.” - Jason, 45

“If people are drinking you can still fit in with them and feel like them by having a no alcohol drink” – Simmi, 45

“I think they’re for people who aren’t drinking but want to feel like they’re having some. You can’t be drinking Coke & fizzy juice all night” – Jaq, 57

Beer & wine is fine. Spirits are less clear cut.

No/low alcohol beers and wine are the real stars of the category, but recent years have also seen an explosion in drinks mimicking or replacing spirits. Everyone understands the reasons for choosing a non-alcoholic beer or wine, but consumers need a little more handholding to find the right occasion or need state for spirits, which are typically associated with boozier and more premium occasions.

“I like an old fashioned. That’s hard to replicate. Mocktails don’t do it for me, they’re too sweet.” - Audrey, 38

“I don’t think it’s the same. You socialise while you’re drinking beer. We drink to get drunk when we have spirits.” - Connor, 30

“I’ve never had them. I got sent a miniature from Sipsmith, but I never drank it.” - Jaq, 57

“Wine is getting there, the sparkling is further along than the red or wine.” – Audrey, 38

Price is anchored to beer, not lemonade.

Most people 'anchor' the price of No/Low Alcohol drinks to their alcoholic equivalents. Providing prices are close to parity, they are not a barrier to entry. But if people start to consider things like duty on alcohol, complexity of production processes and the cost of soft drinks, they rationalise that No/Low drinks should be a little cheaper – especially if we want people to drink more healthy options.

“The process is the same so they’re spending the same cost to make them, possibly even taking longer to extract the alcohol.” - Audrey, 38

“They still have to make a profit, but I’d be annoyed if it’s too close in price, I think I might as well just be drinking.” - Connor, 30

“I don’t think they should cost less… I think they should just cost the same, but not more. You’re taking an ingredient out, not putting something in.” - Jason, 45

“It should be cheaper if we’re trying to encourage people to drink less” - Jaq, 57

Social norming helps people take the leap.

Though plenty of people will come to non-alcoholic drinks by themselves, the lingering stigma and associations mean that a lot of people have been introduced to the category by someone else. Sometimes overtly, sometimes covertly. Marketers would do well to consider how they could activate their users to recruit new ones, with buy-one-give-one mechanics and recommend a friend schemes, because sometimes people do just need a friendly face telling them it’s going to be fine. While people may not want to draw attention to their no/low, seeing them clearly branded and being openly drunk by more people will be a strong driving force for change.

“If someone offered it to me, and encouraged me I would try them. I would like to try no alcohol beer because I’ve never tasted beer at all.” - Simmi, 45

“Actually, my friend gave me a no gin one… I would never have chosen it myself. It wasn’t bad.” - Jaq, 57

“I tried it for the first time because my mum offered it me. She’s been criticising my drinking for years. It was No-secco to celebrate a pregnancy, and was so realistic I had to check it wasn’t the real thing” - Connor, 30