Exploring Prestige Drinkers

A premium champagne brand came to us to understand the luxury mindset of prestige drinkers, and the role of premium alcohol in their lives, to inspire a strategic platform for communications. In the evolving world of luxury (and alcohol), our client needed to not only understand who the prestige drinker was, but also how they defined and engaged with luxury overall... including premium bubbles. We also explored how different environments (e.g. clubs, fine dining, and home) impacted their drink of choice, as well as key strengths and barriers of the brand.

What better way to learn about prestige drinkers than to have them enjoy a drink of their choice? To begin our exploration, we asked them to purchase a bottle of premium spirits ($200+) on premise, then record a video sharing their feelings about that beverage and occasion in the moment. We conducted IDIs for our fine dining and off-premise drinkers, but used friendship pairs for our club drinkers to help mimic the social nature of the environment. These conversations allowed us to probe deeply into their lives, their definitions of success and luxury, and most importantly, their relationship with premium alcohol and champagne.

We identified a unique mindset when it came to defining luxury, and the ways in which these perceptions either hold the brand back, or boost its appeal and credibility amongst prestige drinkers. Armed with these findings, we ideated with the client and their creative agency around ways to further connect with prestige drinkers in future communications.