The only rules you need to care about
Bev/alc brand-building rules to use, lose and break into a million pieces.
This is a newsletter about bev/alc, and how brands can successfully build in that space.
It’s also – as the name hints – a newsletter about rules: the new rules shaping the industry, the old ones that still hold true, and the rules that are ready to be smashed into smithereens.
For our final newsletter of the year, we sifted through all the conversations we had in 2025 with people building brands, to put together a master list of rules.
They won’t all be right for your business. In fact, some of them will be downright wrong – but that’s the beauty of bringing together so many perspectives. Borrow what you want, and break the rest.
And a quick note that next year we’ll be sharing our 2026 industry report, featuring thoughts from some of the most exciting bev/alc brands out there. Subscribe to get it first.
1)People care about ingredients, and roots and where you come from. If you can tell a great, true story about that – double down on it.
2)Drinking comes with mental math now. People are thinking about calories, provenance, hormones, health, hangover cost, identity signalling…..your drink is now a moral signal, not just a flavor.
(as strategist Jasmine Bina explains)
3)Do things without apologizing. If your audience speaks two languages, your brand can too.
4)It’s simple: a brand is a story. Got a great narrative? You’ve already won half the battle.
5)GLP-1s are going to have an impact. Brands will need to flex their muscles on flavor, size, messaging, brand world and consumer relationships. Not necessarily all at once.
6)Bottled cocktails are big and getting bigger. If you want to be competitive you need to keep the ritual special and the liquid undeniable.
7)Know what occasion your brand fits into, and then find yourself a place in that.
8)Don’t skimp on your logo. It can be a visual anchor for your brand, and the thing that lets the rest of your business stay scrappy.
9)Don’t preach to people. Don’t position yourself as the less fun option. Build an experience so good people want it for the pleasure alone.
10)Hype always fades away. Know exactly who you are and what you offer, for when it does.
11)Tradition is always ready for innovation. But you need to know what you’re doing differently, and make sure everyone else knows that as well.
12)Don’t expect people to make an appointment to see your brand. Show up where people are. Be part of their lives.
13)You can have the best brand design and the best product in the world, but you need to know exactly how to get it into people’s hands.
14)Develop product lines that can speak to total newbies to your category – as well as the die-hard fans.
15)Be visible. Share your mistakes. People want to buy from people they know and like.
(as consultant Molly Bossardt explains)