For years alcoholic beverage marketers have almost exclusively targeted the male demographic through campaigns like the classic Bud Light super bowl ads and the ubiquitous 1800 Tequila commercials. These advertisers have sought to put everything from light beer to hard liquor into the hands of American men.
But, as USA Today reports, liquor brands have started to engage female consumers in an effort to “look beyond traditional male-oriented marketing campaigns.”
One needs to look no further than Sauza Blue Tequila’s recent advertisement featuring a French speaking fireman and a beret wearing, blue-eyed kitten for evidence of this trend. For Sauza, “the decision to engage female consumers was prompted by data showing that a good chunk of tequila is being consumed in margaritas. And those margaritas are being consumed by women.”
As one executive states, “Companies are realizing that women comprise a very heavy percentage of the cocktail-drinking community… and are starting to speak more directly to women.”
While we don’t expect to see firefighters and blue-eyed kittens in super bowl ads anytime soon, marketers have made it clear that they aren’t afraid of alienating their male demographic.