The Challenge

Today’s liquor makers are marketing spirit brands as “experiences.” Spirits are moment-makers, symbols of letting loose, of making an impression, or of celebrating a victory. This experiential strategy requires marketers to understand not only who is consuming their product but when and how. Before they can “own the moment,” they need to be sure they know what moments resonate with their most important customers.

To get the answers it needed, one spirits brand asked its core demo: “What’s the last occasion you had a drink for?” Over 6,700 open-ended responses poured in, containing a wealth of insights about the experiences that customers associated with the brand. The only question remaining was: what’s the best way to analyze this treasure trove of qualitative data? Traditional hand-coding is time-consuming, fraught with inaccuracy and inconsistency, and difficult to draw conclusions from. Canvs MRX offered a better solution: Automated AI processing.

Methodology

Canvs MRX makes processing open-ended responses as simple as uploading a spreadsheet. Once the spirits brand entered its file of 6,700 responses, Canvs MRX immediately jumped into action, using its one-of-a-kind unnatural language processing engine to decipher over 500 million words and expressions, including slang, acronyms, emojis, misspellings, and subtle nuances such as sarcasm.

Within minutes, the consumer insights group was able to view and analyze a detailed breakdown of the experiences described in their open-ended responses, and to filter and analyze the data according to numerous demographic criteria. The result was a gold mine of information that validated its experiential strategy and provided new insights into their most valuable customer segments.

By using Canvs MRX, this premium spirits distributor uncovered insights about its most valuable customers that led to more targeted creative and media strategy.

The Findings

Based on the responses to the survey question, we found that two important demographic groups empower the brand to easily make more cost-effective and targeted marketing spend. Using Canvs MRX, the spirits brand zoomed in on these groups to further their understanding of how and when they consume alcohol.

Wealthy Party Go-ers: Respondents with a High Household Income

When respondents in the top income bracket [$250k or more] think of themselves drinking spirits, they envision excitement and festivities. Canvs identified their top spirits moments/drivers as a “Party” [20% share], a “Birthday” [14% share] and Friends [14% share]. Relative to other income groups, they were the least likely to include Family in their responses.

This insight made a strong impact on the brand’s creative and media strategy, solidifying the brand’s positioning as the top choice for a “Night on the Town” or a “Party to Remember” rather than more intimate or somber family moments like an anniversary or holiday.

Friendly Millennials: Respondents aged 21-34

For respondents aged 21-34, “Time with Friends” is the #1 moment for enjoying spirits, regardless of gender. In particular, they get very excited about celebrating “Birthdays” with spirits. Birthdays ranked as the #3 moments driver for these young drinkers, accounting for 10.1% of total Emotional Reactions.

This insight led the brand to explore numerous opportunities for friend-themed campaigns and messaging. In addition to the impact on creative, it impacted when and where the brand ran advertising, directing them towards shows and brands that are associated with “Friends” and “Friendship” in social.