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Brands and Comedy in Packaging
Hey everyone.
I was a distiller for almost 2 years, but I am currently managing one of the busiest liquor stores in the state of Ohio. We have the good fortune to sell thousands of bottles per day through retail. I am currently building capital for my own distillery, and I am using the opportunity to do research on the marketing and packaging of the big companies. I get to pick the brains of distributor reps, as well as regular consumers every day. You would be amazed what you can learn about peoples’ buying habits by working a liquor store for a year. I highly recommend a tour of duty on the retail side if you want to fully understand the whole business.
I’m beginning to draw up plans for bottle and label designs, as well as preparing to purchase trademarks for brand names. I would prefer to use humorous brand labels, not so much “ha-ha” funny, but labels that have a bit of a joke in them. My marketing guy tells me that this will hurt me in the market over the long haul; that it is just a gimmick. I ran into this issue at my previous job, where the distillers and the owners had some disagreement over whether we could use the word “ugly” on the bottle in reference to the type of pomello (ugly fruit) we used to flavor our vodka.
I do not agree with my marketing guy, and I certainly think that the idea that humor does not work in the liquor market is bunk. Take a look at Alien Tequila, which is packaged in a bottle shaped like the typical extraterrestrial face (retails for $55 in Ohio). The best example of this I find in Vampyre vodka, which is colored red, and looks like it was made to cash in on the recent vampire craze. I understand that gimmicks are a sure path to brand failure over the long haul, and that humorous marketing campaigns are the hallmark of the big producers (No, I don’t have any captain in me).
Not that I am bashing large producers, they do, despite what you read on these forums, make some nice stuff. I am not one of those who feels that my product will be superior simply because I am the one making it. You show me a brand with more complexity and quality than Sauza’s Tres Generacions tequila line, or find a flaw in Russell’s Reserve 10 year old bourbon, and I’ll buy you a beer any time, anywhere. But I digress.
One of my influences is Rogue brewery and spirits. They have “non-traditional” names, i.e. they do not use the distillery’s location or owner’s name as the brand. I find their Dead Guy Whiskey to not only be a fantastic product, but the packaging is brilliant. I have spoken to the TTB about what I want to put on the label, and they told me that my ideas should be in the clear.
And I understand that the TTB has some pretty broad guidelines on exactly what can go on the label. I am reminded of the story of Golden Shower Pilsner. The TTB green-lighted the product for years until someone at the agency caught on to the connotation implied by the brand name. Another example of this we should see soon is Three Olives Rangtang. The term “rangtang” has some awful meanings (go to urban dictionary if you dare), and I think the TTB may revoke that label when they figure it out. I do not want to go down this path, and I certainly do not feel that liquor labels should have sexual overtones. But looking at the beer and wine worlds, they get away with some raunchy, funny brand names.
I guess what I am asking, is if a non-traditional brand can make it for the long haul. Companies like Rogue give me hope that I can have my humor and make a dent in the local market at the same time. After all, I got into this business out of sheer volition, because the sweet smell of mash is more satisfying than a 9 to 5. I should be entitled to enjoy what I do, and be proud of the packaging I use to bring my product to market.
Thanks for reading. Stay safe.
Dana Heath Murray
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4 Replies
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I think the non traditional branding of the artisan distillery is the way the go.
The label should “scream” HAND CRAFTED” and when possible “using local” ingredients.
bill owens ADI
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I guess what I am asking, is if a non-traditional brand can make it for the long haul.
I’m certainly not against humor in branding (see attached,one of my early label ideas, 2004), but the questions you should ask yourself are: “How long is the long haul?” and “Do I know of any such brands that have made it that long or longer?”
Are you hoping to build something as a legacy to leave to your family when you pass, or are you hoping to attract a buyer and retire early? If you’ve worked in liquor retail, you’ve seen brands come and go; is there a pattern to the ones that stick around decade after decade?
I find that a label reflects a lot about the producer and how seriously they take themselves and their product; the contents of the bottle better be good enough to pull it off.
And even the best jokes wear thin after ten years of repetition.
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And I understand that the TTB has some pretty broad guidelines on exactly what can go on the label. I am reminded of the story of Golden Shower Pilsner. The TTB green-lighted the product for years until someone at the agency caught on to the connotation implied by the brand name. Another example of this we should see soon is Three Olives Rangtang. The term “rangtang” has some awful meanings (go to urban dictionary if you dare), and I think the TTB may revoke that label when they figure it out. I do not want to go down this path, and I certainly do not feel that liquor labels should have sexual overtones. But looking at the beer and wine worlds, they get away with some raunchy, funny brand names.
you missed Black Death vodka which I thought was an outstanding product but was banned by the TTB
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There are few hard and fast rules in marketing, as people often succeed by doing things everyone told them wouldn’t work. It’s like, “humor doesn’t work in liquor except when it does.” Even gimmicks, like crystal skulls or tommy guns, can make you some nice money in the short term if they catch people’s fancy.
All I would advise is think it through. The worst thing that can happen with humor is when people don’t get the joke, such as when it’s too inside, or rooted an a particular cultural milieu or, you know, just not funny.
The other thing is that the joke shouldn’t just be out there on it’s own. All of your marketing needs to say something about your company and your product, and everything you do should work together to produce a consistent message. The other thing I always harp on is that you really need an overall marketing strategy and a unique selling proposition. Not humor just for humor’s sake, but humor that says something persuasive about your product, is what you want.
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