For decades, global beverage brands have capitalized on the collective desire to explore something new, using their size and scale to quickly penetrate global products into diverse, local markets. But with today’s consumer leaning into new, local, and culturally authentic beverage options, how does this shift inform strategies for brand growth and innovation?
In this article, we explore how traditionally local flavors and offerings are taking on new momentum, breaking through to the global stage and informing innovation pipelines for larger beverage brands. Moreover, through the lens of Vault49’s own Street Level Insights process, we’ll look at how brands actually accomplish this without losing authenticity.
Local brands’ most powerful tool is owning and leveraging their unique culture to carve out a deeper relationship with those that swim in similar cultural waters. It’s very hard for global brands to leverage this intangible form of authenticity without local boots on the ground. So how can your brand find success in new markets, or import culturally significant flavors and formats into a current market, to amplify your innovation pipeline?
Expanding Cultural Boundaries & Cracking Codes
To drive innovation and keep up with consumers’ thirst for the next new thing in the world of drinks, elevating regional beverages and exploring local fruits and flavor profiles can be a rich place to build a new product platform. These offerings often represent deep-rooted traditions and stories primed to be amplified by passionate people who can’t wait to share their culture and creations with new audiences.
At Vault49, our Street Level Insights approach is engineered to help brands looking to expand into new markets. We believe that it’s important to take our research on the ground; to be fully immersed in local culture at street level, to get up close and personal in order to gain honest and authentic cultural insights from real people. These insights shine a bright light on the people that matter and help to educate brands on who they are, what makes them tick, and what matters to them. We work with clients to define what steps need to be made to ensure a successful brand extension or launch, one that isn’t a fast follow but is instead founded in authentic cultural truths and semiotics.
Local Flavor Permeates a Global Stage
Smirnoff was one of the first mainstream global drinks brands to break through cultural barriers in different markets by leveraging local flavors and design cues. We worked closely with the client team in Mexico on a NPD designed specifically for the local market. The result was Smirnoff X1 Spicy Tamarind, a limited edition Vodka flavored with a familiar local ingredient, and branding that celebrated the Day of the Dead in a way that connected authentically with locals.
