Coca-Cola announces new global partnership with Brown-Forman Corporation and expands its ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage portfolio.
Coca-Cola hopes to create a buzz in the alcoholic beverage space with the upcoming release of a canned, ready-to-drink (RTD) Jack Daniel’s and Coke cocktail. At 5% alcohol by volume, a single can shouldn’t drink you under the table.
The product will eventually be available in markets worldwide and is slated to debut in Mexico later this year. A sugar-free option is also forthcoming.
“Jack-and-Coke has been an obvious pairing for a canned cocktail for too long,” says Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. “This announcement is further proof that Coke is more willing to take risks with the sanctity of the Coca-Cola brand in order to reach reach new consumers and generate revenue growth.”
The launch is being executed in partnership with Brown-Forman Corporation, the company behind the Jack Daniel’s product portfolio and a number of other spirits brands, including Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, and el Jimador.
“This relationship brings together two classic American icons to deliver consumers a taste experience they love in a way that is consistent, convenient, and portable,” Lawson Whiting, chief executive and president of Brown-Forman Corporation, said in a statement. “Coca‑Cola perfectly complements Jack Daniel’s and our existing RTD offerings, enabling us to accelerate expansion and continue to grow our business around the world.”
The Coca-Cola Company made its debut in the RTD alcoholic beverage market in 2018 with the release of Lemon Dou, which it describes as “an experiment in Japan’s fast-growing Chu-Hi drinks category.” (Chūhai, a Japanese alcoholic beverage, is sold in that country in a canned product called Chu-Hi.)
The company’s portfolio of available and soon-to-be-released RTD alcoholic beverages now also includes Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, Topo Chico Ranch Water Hard Seltzer, Topo Chico Margarita Hard Seltzer, Simply Spiked Lemonade, Fresca Mixed, and Schweppes Pre-mixed Cocktails. The company also had a brief foray into the wine market in the 1970s.
“We are strategically experimenting and learning in alcohol,” Khalil Younes, president global category — emerging at Coca-Cola, said in a statement. “We are excited about the opportunities, but we also know it will require effort and patience.”
Coca-Cola isn’t alone in its efforts to expand into the booze market; Mtn Dew just launched Hard Mtn Dew, along with a characteristically energetic ad.
This article is about: North America, Jack Daniel’s, Mtn Dew, Coca-Cola, Brand Strategy, Creativity, Brand
