With the twelfth annual Australian Drinks Awards fast approaching on Thursday 18 July, Drinks Trade and the Drinks Association caught up with Chris Papadimitriou, Director at Thrive Insights to discuss some of the key trends that have been highlighted among this year’s cohort of Brand Award winners.
There are 41 Brand Awards spread across the Fan Favourites and Gaining in Popularity categories. They are determined by automatically entering the top 200 drinks brands (identified from key retailer ranging and wholesaler withdrawal data) in each drinks category into the competition. Thrive Research then establishes the winners via a survey of 4,000 consumers.
Better-for-you
The first trend evident in this year’s results is the better-for-you movement. Now a well-consolidated product trend, this year’s winners reveal brands owned by drinks groups of various sizes that have successfully managed to capitalise on the better-for-you market cue.
Strong investment in marketing
Given that the Brand Awards results are based upon data, insights and opinions sourced directly from Australian consumers, the results provide an insightful perspective into the importance and effectiveness of engaging marketing campaigns. According to the research team at Thrive Insights, strong advertising can assume a variety of forms, from catchy songs through to the physical appearance of a product in a retail setting.
Flavour-forward
A third key trend that features prominently across the top brands of 2024 is having a full, strong, and/or unique flavour-forward focus.
Iconic brands
The final key trend is that of iconic brand recognition. Whilst not a new trend, the positive reputation and relationship that leading brands have with their customers directly underpins their success. This is especially evident across the 2024 Fan Favourite Awards, with many brands continuing to build on their already-established reputations as Australia’s most-loved brands.
This year, the Fan Favourite Brand Awards are sponsored by world-leading consumer intelligence company, NIQ.
The company's Pacific Managing Director, Pete Sheridan, said: “NIQ is proud to celebrate the iconic liquor brands that resonate deeply with consumers. In an industry where consumers wield considerable choice and control over brand engagement, the key to success lies in delivering what consumers want, being uniquely relevant, and ensuring real-time availability."
Retail Optimisation company, StayinFront is the 2024 sponsor of the Gaining in Popularity Brand Awards. Managing Director, Archel Aguilar, said: “ Our dedication to providing innovative Retail Optimised solutions to our clients perfectly aligns with celebrating brands that excel in engaging consumers in a competitive market. We're thrilled to recognise the innovation and excitement driving both new and established brands in the drinks industry."
The winners of the 2024 Australian Drinks Awards will be announced during the 12th annual awards ceremony on Thursday 18 July. In addition to the Brands Awards, the results of the Supplier Awards and the Contribution to Industry Awards will also be announced on the night.
The Drinks Association would like to extend its thanks to its generous sponsors for this year’s event.
