zeroed in: creating a new category

Ask

Bring non-alcoholic spirits into the mainstream and sustain year-over-year brand awareness growth, positioning the brand as the category leader. 

Approach

Developed a strategic earned media relations plan to launch (2019) the Ritual Zero Proof brand, the first non-alcoholic spirit alternative on the market to mimic traditional spirits, which led to the announcement of Diageo’s minority investment in 2020. Leveraging this success and the category’s rapid growth, we focused on telling data-driven stories that demonstrated the growing demand for non-alcoholic products and brought to life how consumers were going “dry” in their daily lives but still able to experience the “ritual” of a cocktail. 

Results

• Helped sell out the brand’s initial six-month product supply in only six weeks
• 600 earned media placements
• 4.7B earned media impressions
• Brand acquired by Diageo in September 2024 ($1 of every $4 dollars in the category spent on Ritual)