« Today We Remember The Biggest Naming and Branding Debacle of the Last 100 Years: New Coke | Main | Would Einstein Approve of The Loss of Continental's Naming and Branding? »
April 26, 2010
Game Day Beer Brand Naming at 7-Eleven
I'm not going to make much of the new 7-Eleven "Game Day" beer name. Instead, I'm going to focus on what it means that 7-Eleven has a private label beer at all.
Simply put, this is a watershed moment in private label branding - which 7-Eleven excels at - and in branding in general.
There can be no doubt that private label branding has reached a tipping point when 7-Eleven, of all places, has its own beer brand.
But then again, why not?
It's the third largest beer retailer in the United States and consumers are already eagerly flocking to less expensive beer. Or, more accurately, they are moving away from what the New Yorker calls the "mushy middle" (quoting Al and Laura Ries) of branding and frequenting either high end brands or the really cheap stuff.
In the case of beer, this means that real premium brews are still doing well and low-end brands are also flourishing, but everyday beers are facing challenging times.
7-Eleven's private label wine - Yosemite Road - holds the number one and two spots in the chain's sales. Yes, that's right. And if 7-Eleven can sell to wine lovers, they can definitely sell to beer drinkers.
Now, some may point out that their last attempt at beer, Santiago, was a high end failure that was meant to compete with Corona. But this stuff, with its non-assuming cans and logo, is aimed right at the downmarket crowd. Premium beers still dominate United States sales, but the really low end beers have a kind of retro, grungy appeal to the Homer Simpson in every beer drinker. As one reviewer puts it:
Would I have bought this when I was 21 years old and just sold a few compact discs and a pint of my blood so I would have money to get drunk on the weekend? Sure. Would I buy this beer now that I know better? Definitely not.
Well, that's no big surprise, but think about this: Beer purchases in convenience stores took a 4% dip last year, but sales of sub-premium beers like Keystone Light and Natural Light actually went up.
OK, 7-Eleven calls it "premium brewed," but customers will recognize Game Day for what it is - cheap suds that go well with chips and microwave burritos.
Technorati Tags: Game Day Beer, Game Day Brand, 7-Eleven Private Label, Beer Brand Names, 7-Eleven Branding, Beer Naming, Premium Brewed, Beer Sales, Beer Retailer, Game Day Light, 7-Eleven Beer
Posted by William Lozito at April 26, 2010 9:48 AM
Posted to
Beverages
|
Brand Naming
|
Branding
|
Industry
|
Marketing
|
Naming
|
Product Naming
|
Spirits
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.namedevelopment.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/4646
Leave a comment