Adams Market Research Alcohol Beverage Industry

Even in the face of a sputtering U.S. economy that appears to be moving forward in fits and starts, the beverage alcohol industry continues to maintain steady, if modest, growth. Statistics for sales volume of all beverage alcohol segments were up in 2002, with spirits consumption growing 1.8%, wine up 3.3% and beer rising 1.3%. Dollar volume was even more impressive, with retail sales for all three segments gaining a collective 6.3% to $137.2 billion in 2002. Indeed, this underlines the character of an industry intent on meeting the challenges of changing market conditions. An important element in this industry-wide effort is the innovative merchandising and ingenious advertising programs introduced during the past year, especially for the many high-profile products that play an major role in spurring this growth. Once again, the results of the Beverage Dynamics Advertising & Promotion Awards competition has shown how impressive these efforts are. The investments that companies make in packaging, advertising, merchandising and promotion for their various brands are instrumental in directing consumers toward certain products. In fact, there are numerous examples of how a fresh advertising campaign or a redesigned package, for example, helped invigorate a brand. Indeed, these efforts and how they appeal to consumers can often make or break a product, and signal why companies continue to spend millions of dollars in the creative arena.

Our panel of judges -- listed at the end of this article -- included nine well-respected members of the advertising, marketing and design communities. Once again, they graciously gave of their time, experience and energy, and we'd like to acknowledge their participation. As in every competition of this sort, choosing the winners is not an easy task, especially in the categories where there a number of exceptional entries. The following pages are meant to showcase those winners and the companies behind our industry's best advertising, packaging, promotions and merchandising materials.