How do gin companies approach branding?

Gin-vigorate your brand

The gin industry is booming, and we’re here for it! According to an article in the Independent, in 2022, there were 820 gin distilleries in the UK, including 730 micro-distilleries. This figure makes it easy to see why the UK is said to be the most competitive place in the world for a gin producer to exist!

Sales of gin and other spirits have increased over recent years as more people choose to drink at home rather than in our pubs and bars, partly in response to the cost-of-living crisis. As the industry flourishes, it’s exciting to see such a diverse range of gins available now, encompassing every vibe and flavour imaginable. 

With the surge of new gin brands entering the market, emerging brands face the daunting task of capturing attention amongst a sea of competitors. In this article, we’ll explore different branding and marketing strategies used by successful gin brands, providing insights to help your brand stand out and potentially become the next big name in spirits!

How should gin companies approach branding?

So, you want to launch a new gin brand? If you’ve produced a gin you think could rival some of the biggest names on the market, remember that creating an exceptional product is just the beginning – especially in the competitive gin industry!

Once you’ve perfected your gin recipe, the next significant challenge, perhaps the most daunting one, is to devise a gin branding strategy to make your product stand out in the marketplace and get noticed. Gin brands tackle this colossal task in different ways, and while there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, a robust branding strategy is a must.

There are a few important steps you need to take before you can create standout branding for your gin business.

• Define your target audience
• Carry out market research
• Identify your brand’s unique selling points
• Define your brand’s mission and vision
• Define your brand values

These important steps will help lay the foundation for creating a cohesive and compelling brand identity for your gin business.

Using brand archetypes to develop your gin brand’s identity 

One strategy often used by brands when devising their brand identity is the brand archetypal theory. According to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, all humans have one dominant trait that leads to typical behavioural patterns, desires, values, and motivations. His theory was that these typical archetypes could also be applied to brands to help them create deeper connections with their target audience. This theory remains very popular today. 

The 12 brand archetypes are Innocent, Everyman, Hero, Outlaw, Explorer, Creator, Ruler, Magician, Lover, Caregiver, Jester, and Sage.

The archetype you choose helps define your brand’s personality, communication style, and tone and type of content. Knowing your brand archetype can provide direction and clarity when forming your brand identity and when marketing and advertising your brand.

Let’s take a look at some gin branding examples to see how this works in practice. 

Bombay Sapphire (The Creator) 

Creator brands are known for being innovative and creative and are often the first ones to do something or solve a problem. Bombay Sapphire is a longstanding, popular gin brand – officially launched in 1987. It is best known for its iconic bright blue bottle and tagline “stir creativity”.

Tanqueray Gin (The Ruler)

Ruler brands are often premium or luxury brands with powerful, authoritative, or dominating personalities. Tanqueray Gin has been around since the 1830s and markets itself as the world’s number one premium gin. Its branding focuses on the quality and heritage of its products.

Unicorn Tears Gin (The Jester)

Jester brands like to make people laugh. They’re usually fun, charismatic, and have a great sense of humour. Many smaller craft gin brands take this fun approach to branding. Unicorn Tears Gin is a novelty iridescent glittery gin that the makers claim “contains real unicorn tears” and is made using its “free-range unicorn herd and closely-guarded extraction process.” The range also includes Pixie Tears Gin and Flamingo Tears Gin.

Choosing a brand archetype can help give your gin branding strategy direction and aid with developing your gin brand story and unique brand identity, personality, and voice.

The importance of gin packaging and bottle design

Once you’ve got a good understanding of who your brand is. It’s time to develop packaging that clearly communicates this identity to the wider world. Product packaging is a key influencing factor in consumer buying decisions, so yours need to pack and punch and clearly communicate who your brand is and why consumers should choose it.

Powerful product packaging design can be the difference between your gin brand taking the world by storm or flopping. A strong design can help your product stand out from its competitors, captivate its audience, boost its market presence, and increase its perceived value. Product packaging and gin bottle design importance should not be overlooked.

Let’s look at some of our favourite gin packaging and bottle designs.

Mermaid Gin

Mermaid gin, created by the Isle of Wight Distillery, comes in a whimsical and eye-catching ombre design gin bottle that is covered in scales and looks like it could well be a treasure that has been washed up on a beach shore.

Tarquin’s Cornish Gin

Continuing with the sea theme, we have Tarquin’s Cornish Gin, another gin with a stunningly beautiful and unique bottle design. The bottle comes in various colours, each embossed with a puffin in flight over water. The bottles are designed to be reminiscent of sea glass and feature a distinctive drip design around the bottom of the bottleneck.

Stockport Gin

Here at Create8, we’ve worked with several gin distilleries to brand their products and design their product packaging. One of our favourites is Stockport Gin. We created a timeless packaging design that is both elegant and contemporary and incorporates gold details for a touch of luxury.

Morpheus Gin

Another one of our favourite packaging projects involved Morpheus Gin. We worked with Morpheus to produce packaging that was modern but sophisticated, with abstract elements to reflect their name, which is associated in Greek mythology with dreams.

Our blog,’ Elevate your Alcohol Brand with Standout Packaging Design,’ explains the latest trends in alcohol packaging and the importance of alcohol packaging design.

Why do gin brands need an online presence?

Over recent years, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a noticeable shift in the way that people buy and drink alcohol. Consumers are increasingly opting to drink at home rather than at bars and pubs, and online alcohol sales have surged, a trend that is projected to continue until at least 2028.

As we’ve already learnt, the gin market is fiercely competitive in the UK, so new brands must sell both online and offline to maximise exposure and give their new venture the best chance of success. Selling online is vital as it helps your brand reach a wider audience by making your products accessible to consumers who otherwise could not access them in local stores or who prefer to shop online. An eCommerce store can also help boost sales and customer loyalty by providing a more convenient customer experience. Other benefits of selling online include cost efficiency, scalability, and access to invaluable customer data.

At Create8, we’ve helped several exciting spirits brands launch their eCommerce stores and start selling online. Read our article ‘Selling Alcohol in an Online Store’ to learn everything you need to know before you launch your online gin store, or contact us to learn more about our Shopify and web design services.

How to successfully market a gin brand

Armed with your dynamic new brand identity and compelling narrative, it’s time to spread the word about your exciting new business.

In a competitive market, a unique selling proposition and storytelling in gin marketing are your secret weapons for differentiating your brand from others. These elements should be used consistently throughout all marketing and advertising efforts to reinforce what makes your brand unique, create a cohesive brand experience across every customer touchpoint, and boost brand recognition.

Choose marketing and advertising channels based on where your target audience is most active. This could include social media platforms, online advertising platforms, online communities, and offline venues.

Regularly updating your brand’s social media platforms with authentic and engaging content can help you maintain a strong online presence and drive traffic to your eCommerce store. Carrying out SEO can also improve your brand’s organic visibility in search engine results pages while investing in PPC and collaborating with influencers for gin branding can help expand its reach even further.

The ultimate goal of your marketing and advertising strategies should be to connect with your audience on a deeper level, engage them meaningfully, and encourage brand loyalty.

Try Product Bundling for beverages to increase AOV with Easy Bundles by Skai Lama. Here are a few examples of beverage companies using the build-a-box feature.

Partner with Create8 to develop dynamic branding for your gin business

Your business’s branding influences how customers perceive and engage with it. If you’re launching a new gin business, spending time creating a compelling and distinct brand identity will help your brand stand out and be more easily recognisable. It will also help to build deeper emotional connections with your target audience and develop customer trust and loyalty. Essentially, the success of your new venture relies heavily on the impact of its branding.

Need help developing a compelling brand that effectively reflects the story behind your business and the essence of your products? Here at Create8, we have worked with countless alcohol businesses to develop winning brand identities to help set them on the path to success. Our branding experts use a comprehensive branding process and structured brand workshops to work with our clients to gain an in-depth understanding of their business and what it stands for, align perspectives and ideas, and develop a brand that accurately reflects the business’s ethos and direction. 

Contact our team today to kickstart the branding process or discover how our branding, product packaging, and web design services can propel your gin brand to success.