Alcohol TV impressions slip amid return-to-normal push

Dive Brief:

Alcohol television advertisement impressions are down 17% year-over-year (YoY), higher than the 12% cut in advertising spending by the category, according to a recent study by iSpot.tv comparing the first seven months of 2022 to the same period in previous years.
Beer ad impressions saw the biggest dip, down 24% YoY. Modelo had the biggest share of impressions, accounting for 8.31% of impressions, up from 4.49% in 2018. Sister brand Corona Extra was a close second, with 6.47% of impressions.
As the alcohol marketplace continues to evolve in the face of changing consumer preferences, impressions for beer alternatives also fell from 34.52% in 2021 to 29.12% in 2022. Twenty-two brands of cider, seltzer and non-alcoholic products aired TV ads, up from just 11 in 2018.

Dive Insight:

Alcohol TV advertising ramped up during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic as at-home alcohol consumption soared. However, as consumers and business continue to try to return to normal, alcohol TV advertising has been impacted. Additionally, shifts in alcohol preferences saw a greater focus on Mexico-based brands and hard seltzers.

Gen Z consumers are also drinking less alcohol than other age groups, per the report. While 90% of millennials buy alcohol, only 84% of Gen Z shoppers 21 and older do. They also spend 40% less on average than millennials, though, this could be reflective of the cohorts younger age and spending power.

Between Jan. 1 and July 31, 2022, alcohol advertising racked up 66.87 billion TV impressions. The estimated national spend for this time period was $574.4 million. For the report, iSpot.TV captured TV ad exposure across 51 million smart TVs and set-top boxes, then extrapolated this information using census data to create a representation of U.S. households.

While beer saw a significant drop in impressions, wine and spirit impressions fell only 0.19% for a total of 23.66 billion. Smirnoff accounted for the greatest number of spirit impressions and came in sixth overall, accounting for 3.48% of alcohol TV ad impressions.

By media outlet, ESPN delivered 9.36% of all alcohol ad impressions, more than any other network. The NBA was the top program for this time period, accounting for 6.85% of impressions. The NFL accounted for 3.61% of impressions during the first seven months of 2022. However, this is bound to rise as the NFL season begins in September. Sports programming ranked in the top five when it came to impressions. For non-sports programming, the crime drama NCIS came in at the top, delivering 1.29% of impressions.

Impressions for Mexican-based beer brands also grew steadily, making up 43.76% of all beer TV ad impressions during the evaluated time period, up 38.97% from the year prior.

In terms of ad effectiveness evaluated based on likability and attention, Guinness’ “All Together Now” advertisement was ranked as the most effective advertisement, with an attention score of 16% above the norm, a likability score of 23% above the norm and a share of voice (SOV) of 0.94%.

In second place was Corona’s “Phone” advertisement featuring Snoop Dogg and actor Andy Samberg, with an impressions SOV of 1.75%, an attention score of 14% above the norm and a likability score of 21% above the norm.