Call to recapture the lost drinkers'
By Graham Ridout Brewers should forget about tar-geting men aged 18 to 34 and start to focus on women and the "grey" market. This is the key recommendation in a new report from Interbrew UK "Targeting beer's lost drinkers", which has shared its findings with the Morning Advertiser prior to formal publication. The report damns the advertising methods of many brewers. It noted: "Despite the fact that adults over 50 account for 33% of all on-trade drinkers, and around 50% of ale volume, brewers often focus on advertising that reflects the lifestyle and attitudes of a certain age group, men aged 18 to 34, with particular emphasis on a trend-setting audience of 18 to 24-year-olds. But what about the remaining drinkers?" The report added: "Ironically, despite much of the ad spend being directed at them, 18-plus drinkers are not building their repertoires around beer, but on drinks such as premium-packaged spirits." Brewers, said the report, are ignoring the current demographic profile, which shows that for the first time in Britain there are more people aged over 60 than under 16. It also found that there are 20 million over-50s and, by 2035, half the population will be in that age group and will have a significant spending power. Interbrew has identified four key "lifestage" groups and analysed their present and future drinking patterns. The "post-kids" group presents the greatest potential for brewers to target (see below). The report also warned that women are being ignored, despite the fact they are "driving change in the drinks market" and are a major factor behind the growth in premium-packaged spirits. Interbrew reported: "The traditional lager lads' advertising, when they have a laugh a woman's expense, turns off many women, so there is a need for advertisers to develop a different sort of maleness that reflects contemporary attitudes. "There is a need for the industry to move towards a genderless' style of advertising, which is not aimed at either sex at the expense of the other. "Unless all brewers adopt a more enlightened approach to advertising, women will continue to be a missed opportunity for beer." The family breakdown
Dependent pre-family comprises 18 to 24-year-olds, who are not working and have no children. There are 1.5 million of them and they are predominantly premium lager drinkers. Although less affluent than the other groups, they spend more on alcohol on a pro-rata basis as they consume more of it in pub, with 55% of drinking occasions taking place in the on-trade.
Independent pre-family covers 18 to 39-year-olds, who are employed but with no kids. There are 6.5 million of them and they tend to be premium lager drinkers. The less well-off spend more time in pubs and other on-trade outlets than their more affluent counterparts 55% of all drinking occasions compared with 49%.
Family covers people aged 20 to 54 with children under 15. There are 13 million of them and they tend to be standard lager drinkers. Poorer families spend 35% of their drinking occasions in a pub compared with 27% for those with more money to spend.
Post-children comprises mainly couples aged 40 to 74 with no kids under 15. There are 19 million of them and they are likely to be ale drinkers. The less well-off spend 39% of their drinking occasions in an on-trade outlet compared with 29% for those with more disposable income. Interbrew predicts that, within 10 years, this group will consume nearly half of all alcoholic drinks and account for 40% of beer sales.
