Marketing and Holiday Booze. Here’s the Connection.

Cocktails: a fun, and often necessary, part of the holidays. Many people are still working at the end of this holiday-eve week, so while you sit at your desk and dream about what you will be sipping in a few days, you can justify the time by thinking about how that cocktail in your head relates to your marketing efforts.

I polled the Right Source staff for holiday cocktail favorites, and then I added some insight (ok, maybe insight is a stretch) about what type of marketing effort most resembles that libation. Do you see yourself in any of these?

Rumple Minze.

The Drink: It’s not for the faint of heart. At 100 proof, this classic German pepperminty gem is kind of like… boom! This is Marketing Services Coordinator Mandy Hyde’s fave. You gotta give her some props for that.

The Marketing: To me, Rumple Minze is like the marketer who publishes one freaking awesome, well-planned, well-written anchor piece in a year. And he/she hammers it out in like 2 weeks, design and all. What an adrenaline rush! And then it’s over. Because he or she doesn’t promote it, and doesn’t repurpose any of it, and so it was exciting for a hot second, but then it’s over. Like Rumple Minze after the holidays. Have a shot or two or ten. And then you definitely won’t again until next year.

Caribbean Bushwacker.

The Drink: I know, the name doesn’t scream “holiday.” But Director of Operations Alecia Farley goes to the Caribbean every year in December, so this fancy little number is her holiday drink of choice. It has four types of liqueur in it AND four cups of ice cream. Lots of bells and whistles and it screams “pay attention to me!”

The Marketing: The Bushwacker is like the marketer who hears about a new approach or tactic and immediately incorporates it into the mix. It’s not part of a campaign and there might not be strategy behind it, but it’s super fun to make and you’re really excited about it when you publish it (or drink it). Because it’s not connected to … well … anything else you do, it might not generate awesome results, but it’s fun. Similarly, the Bushwacker is going to make you feel sick for sure, but I definitely want one right now.

Dirty Vodka Martini (extra dirty, extra olive).

The Drink: I know. This is not really a holiday cocktail. But it’s what Account Director Melanie Kelleher drinks and she’s sticking with it. Same for CEO Mike Sweeney’s Manhattan (one rock, never martini style). These folks stick with what they know works, year ‘round.

The Marketing:  Just like a classic drink, you stick with what you know works. Weekly blog posts, a newsletter, a regular webinar, a regular schedule of organic social posts. Why rock the boat? I’m not going to rail against your approach, but sometimes (Mike and Melanie, please pay attention) you have to try some new things.

As marketing changes, you can’t just keep doing the same things and expect results. Your audience has a lot of really engaging content to look at these days. You have to remind them you’re relevant, engage them with new content, and then gather data to help you make decisions about what to produce next. Sure, the exploration in drinking is really only to expand your alcohol horizons. But what if there is something super yummy out there that you are just totally missing out on? Don’t you want to find out if it could really make the holidays twinkle for you?

Ponder your cocktails and your marketing approach tomorrow while you are still sitting at your desk. Then make a new plan for your 2019 marketing. If you need help with that planning, download, “Build Your Content Marketing Plan: A 10-Step Guide.” If you need more advice, or if you just want to grab a holiday cocktail, get in touch.

About Yvonne Lyons:

Yvonne Lyons is Right Source’s vice president of creative services, overseeing content and design for all of our clients. She ensures that all creative produced at Right Source is of the highest quality and is aligned with our clients’ business strategy and goals. Yvonne received a bachelor’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University in writing and literature and has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, branding, and communications.