Conquering the Seltzer Wars

Our client strives to inspire confidence for all thrill-seekers and those who wander. Whether you're in the city, or deep in the backcountry, they provide balanced flavors for balanced lifestyles with their 7, ready-to-drink, all-American flavors.

Dubbed the seltzer wars, 2020 alone saw the spiked seltzer industry increase by over 170% YoY, and, according to Statista, 93% of consumers planned on venturing out of their spiked seltzer comfort zone to try one of the 41 new brands on the market.

Unlike all the other malt-based seltzers on the market, our client offers a RTD vodka soda in a can made with real vodka and natural flavors. They were seeking to differentiate themselves from the White Claw's and Truly's of the world, establishing themselves as the summer drink of choice for all go-getters and adventure seekers.

VizSense was tasked with driving awareness of this new, 'non-traditional' RTD beverage across 10 states as the brand increased distribution in their key markets across the US.

VizSense conducted in-depth market research to deploy a winning strategy. We looked at our client & their primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors to identify key demographics and which conversations resonate with consumers across the ready-to-drink category.

LOCATION TARGETING: VizSense A/B tested 5 primary states with key distribution opportunities: Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas, and California against 5 secondary states that already had high search interest for our client's product. By A/B testing, Viz was able to give our client actionable insights on current and potential markets for future campaigns and learnings as the brand expanded across the US.

INFLUENCER STRATEGY: Our client is more than your average vodka soda or seltzer, they're a lifestyle. Viz identified influencers in our primary and secondary target locations who aligned with the brand ethos, partnering with adventure seekers and explorers to create experiential summer content.

MESSAGING: Featuring our client's flavor-forward, low cal vodka sodas, our influencers showcased their balanced lifestyles and promoted the product as the go-to, guilt-free summer drink of choice. This brand is made with real vodka, natural flavors, and offers a unique approach to the RTD category. Influencers highlighted their favorite brand attributes, and even helped support a cooler giveaway hosted on the brand's owned social channels. Our client's convenient and delicious brand came to life through content including backyard barbecues, at the beach, camping at a national park, and standard summer weekend plans!