“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes” – Marcel Proust.
This was a line penned by the French author in the early 1900’s. He spoke of the need for people to have an open mind. A mind that would be opened to seeing multiple perspectives understand the layers within and develop a new meaning for the sight that the eyes behold.
Almost a century later, technology, services, businesses, and people have made this philosophy come alive and, in more ways, than one. Take the hospitality industry. The last decade has seen a revolution with Airbnb providing “hospitality on a cloud”. With a single stroke of technology, Airbnb democratized access to differentiated hospitality services in almost every nook and corner for billions of people worldwide.
This service is not a fad.
There are at least thirty other companies worldwide, like Airbnb, providing hospitality on a cloud. What then, you may ask, differentiates each of them. One phrase captures the mood – and that is ‘personalized experiences’.
Now, to our consumers. The age of discovery is truly upon us. Backpacking was once associated with the carefree living of the teens and twenty-somethings and luxurious getaways with the older, well-heeled, and globally exposed. Marcel Proust’s line rings more valid now than ever.
With people wanting to question their role in the world, their purpose, and a constant quest to make their lives better, consumers are beginning to seek experiences that help them discover life itself. And the stereotypes have been broken. Discovery has now become the single unifying need that consumers seek.
Irrespective of who you are and your age, consumers are beginning to indulge in discovery trails at various levels of the hospitality spectrum. Be it a night out, a vacation with friends, a solo trip, a camping retreat, or a quiet getaway with the family, consumers are looking for that one moment of magic that turns their experience into a memory of a lifetime. Every single time.
With personalized experiences taking centre stage, here are some trends to keep in mind when marketing alcoholic beverages to the new-age hospitality consumer.
HOSPITALITY: BEYOND HOTELS, PUBS, RESTAURANTS
The democratization of hospitality has led to expanding the definition of hospitality itself. The hospitality realm now extends far beyond its traditional realms into retail, travel (air, sea, and road), e-commerce, and some argue, even healthcare.
The underlying driver is that consumers expect services beyond delivering the obvious. Purchasing an item or a service on an e-commerce portal is now defined by an experience curated for you – with individualized selections, customization options, and a never-ending list of top-up value adds that drive consumption.
Take retail, for example. The fact that you now have a cold-pressed juice section where the person behind the counter helps you with your personalized choice of fruits and then cold-presses a few fresh bottles of juice has come to be passé.
Isn’t that hospitality in a retail setting? Therefore, questions for marketing: What does hyper-personalization mean for alcoholic beverages? And what roles do alcoholic beverages play in the (new) hospitality sector?
ARRIVAL OF METAVERSE
It was 2009 when the movie Avatar was released. Hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since. The concept of “another you”, a being that exists in a different world, was so new and mind-boggling.
And what’s even more mind-bending is the fact that this vision of an alternate reality has come to life today through the Metaverse. The protagonist in Avatar, Jake Sully, famously says “Everything is backward now, like out there is the true world, and here is the dream”. He couldn’t have been further away from the truth. With the digital and physical realms co-existing, consumers are slowly moving towards an alternate version of themselves.
And, with this gradual exodus into the Metaverse, the need for curated, personalized experiences continues. Therefore, questions for marketing: How do you deliver all the reasons to believe in an alcoholic beverage in the Metaverse? For, there will be a day when we will be able to smell, taste, feel and emote in the Metaverse.
POST PANDEMIC PANGS – AND CONSUMER RESPONSE
Accelerated normalization of alcohol has been one of the biggest shifts in a COVID world. Living in extended lockdown conditions, the permission to consume alcohol in home and neighborhood third spaces has increased.
This has resulted in other indicators of normalization such as the inclusion of food and food values, moderated consumption, seeking better drink experiences, and among affluent households, mixed-gender consumption. This momentum was witnessed even more amongst affluent Indian consumers, who are also indicating greater appreciation and discernment of the category.
This, combined with lesser avenues of discretionary spending, has fueled the need for highly curated experiences for consumption in new occasions and spaces. While the severity of the pandemic appears to be fading, and while we expect consumers to cautiously gravitate towards more familiar habits, the move towards eating healthier, drinking better, and living wholesome is a trend that surely is here to stay. Therefore, questions for marketing: What’s the “whole” picture for alcoholic beverages in the post-pandemic era? Positioning “better for you” in a world full of choices becomes critical.
ATITHI DEVO BHAVA
The mantra from the Taittiriya Upanishad, says, “Matrudevo bhava, pitrudevo bhava, acharyadevo bhava, Atithi Devo bhava”. It translates to “be one for whom the mother is God, be one for whom the Father is God, be one for whom the Teacher is God, be one for whom the guest is God”. Service is in our rituals. Service is a part of our tradition. And service is in our nature.
This is interesting from an alcoholic beverage standpoint because alcohol distillation likely originated in India. Cited in the journal of Genomics and Health in the Developing World, in 2012, alcoholic beverages in the Indus Valley Civilization appeared in the Chalcolithic Era. These beverages were in use between 3000 BC and 2000 BC. Sura, a beverage brewed from rice, wheat, sugar cane, grapes, and other fruits, was popular among the Kshatriya warriors and peasants. Given India’s native roots in service and alcoholic beverages, the ability to serve up delectable experiences will soon become native to the hospitality industry.
