Catalina Lime Mixer and Aloha Beaches
Compliments of Natural Light
Launching just in time for college seniors to report for the fall semester, Anheuser-Busch is rolling out Natural Light Seltzer. The cherry‑lime and mango‑peach flavored ‘hard seltzer’ malt beverages are aimed directly at the same good-time coed crowd that makes Natty Light’s flagship beer the 6th largest seller in the U.S. Anheuser Busch expects to lure consumers away from competitors like White Claw Hard Seltzer with lower pricing and a higher alcohol content of six percent.
According to industry experts, a large part of the popularity with hard seltzers ties into today’s health conscious trends. The perception is that they are a healthier alternative to beer even though these are also malt beverage products. But a simpler view is that people are finding malt seltzer a crisper, more refreshing alternative to brew and wine coolers of yore, and it’s showing up at the register.
“We are burning through pallets of hard seltzer every week,” says Toni Jean Carver manager at Joe Canal’s Lawrenceville, a large retail outlet in Princeton, New Jersey. “All of our seltzer varietals combined outsold Bud Light by double, and we expect Natty Hard Seltzer to take a bigger bite.”
Carver’s boots-on-the-ground analysis is no anomaly. Category sales have reportedly spiked over 164% this summer alone, and significant investments from corporations like Constellation Brands (Corona Refresca), Boston Brewing Company (Truly Hard Seltzer), and Molson Coors (Henry’s Hard Sparkling) coupled with an astounding consumer response are reliable indicators of long term growth. Business Insider reports hard seltzer is on track to be a $2.5 billion category by 2021, expected to grow from 14 million cases annually to 77 million in the next three years. InBev execs are also banking on the class having strong legs.
“Seltzer is booming. It’s part of a larger shift in consumption across America, and we believe it has tremendous staying power,” said Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Core and Value Brands at Anheuser-Busch in a company press release. “We know plenty of Natty Light drinkers are also trying seltzer, so we want to meet that demand by bringing the fun of Natty into that space with an affordable price offering fitting their lifestyle.”
Natty Light is the company’s second foray in the hard seltzer category. In 2016, the company introduced Bon & Viv, a slickly packaged product with a mermaid logo and marketed towards women. While the conventional wisdom is that females would lead the category, the response from male consumers has been massive. Identifying the trend, the new Natty Hard Seltzer is packaged in classic 12-ounce beer-style cans and 25-ounce tallboys, giving them a more masculine vibe than many competitors, though the company is not making distinctions. The folks at Anheuser-Busch believe that their advantage here lies in the fact that their potential audience is already drinking their beer.
“Natty is already ultra-relevant with the male and female consumer demographic,” says Marques. “This launch is just another example of how we’re meeting our core following where they already are. When it comes to hitting the nail on the head with the young adult demo, Natty is best in class.”