Clients come to SCG to…

Turn their concept into the brands of the future
Solve their ecommerce and digital marketing needs
Refresh established brands so they remain compelling
We work side-by-side with clients, as partners, to create exceptional brands and successful companies while fostering a deep understanding of the industry.

Here are just a few examples

Case Study

Upstate Vodka from Sauvage Distillery

Market Launch Strategy & Financial Planning

THE CHALLENGE

Low quality content, an unoptimized sales funnel, disjointed digital marketing and e-commerce efforts created lackluster sales results for a premium vodka brand.

THE SOLUTION

Upstate Vodka turned to SCG’s ecommerce and digital marketing team to increase sales and brand awareness while maximizing budget and ROI.  After experiencing lackluster volume during their first year of e-commerce sales, they turned to SCG for e-commerce analysis, strategy and management across the entire digital marketing ecosystem.  SCG improved content quality and relevance, optimized and managed coordinated campaigns that included: email marketing, advertising, influencers and promotions which yielded a 94% increase in online sales and a differentiated brand.

Services Provided

  • Website re-design and Sales Funnel Optimization
  • E-commerce Management
  • Digital Marketing Management
  • Social Media & Influencer Management
  • Content Creation
  • Sales Material Design

Results

  • 94% YOY increase in e-commerce sales
  • Increased website traffic
  • Increased followers, impressions & engagement
  • Structured Impactful Influencer Program
  • Increased Instagram ad traffic by 1290% and Google ad traffic by 49% during holiday campaigns
  • Managed and Optimized email marketing to drive 15% of total revenue for a special release batch

Case Study

BELLE ISLE

Market Launch Strategy & Financial Planning

THE CLIENT
Belle Isle is made from all natural ingredients in Virginia where they had already successfully launched. They knew that in order to succeed in the NYC market if they would need to overcome the negative stereotypes about moonshine and establish themselves as a premium spirit worthy of sophisticated cocktails.

THE CHALLENGE
Most people think of moonshine as harsh, cheap liquor that leads to ferocious hangovers but Belle Isle Moonshine is made from organic corn and all atural, delicious flavors. To solve this challenge, SCG created a 2-pronged approach for the NY market. First, we introduced Belle Isle to upscale cocktail accounts that could champion the brand. Second, we built high-end partnerships that allowed target consumers to experience the brand (and moonshine) in a whole different way.

Results

Belle Isle was placed at over 50 prestigious New York City accounts in their first year. We conducted trade events, sourced and managed key artnerships, secured highlights in local magazines and managed key consumer events including the ELLE VIP lounge at NY Fashion Week.

“Turning a Delicious Dream into a Reality”

Bouvery Chocolate Liquer

CHALLENGE
Helping a brand owner from another industry turn his
dream into a real business with stand-out alcohol branding.

OVERVIEW
The brand owner came to us with a work-in-progress product: a gluten-free vodka, blended with organic cocoa and natural flavors to create a rich dark chocolate liqueur. It was a decadent, unique product that we thought had real promise in the market. Once he had created the most delicious chocolate liqueur we had ever tasted, what he needed from SCG was a brand marketing strategy about how to enter the US market and a financial model to support his successful launch.

Services Provided

  • Route to market strategy & financial plan
  • Financial model
  • Pricing strategy
  • PHASED SALES & BRAND MARKETING STRATEG

Results

Spirits Consulting Group created a phased market entry plan and financial model which included initial market (states) selections, pricing strategy, team structure, channels and sales and marketing tactics. The brand is now in its 10th production run and expanding.

“Turning a Delicious Dream into a Reality”

Cut Above Zero Proof Spirits

Market Launch Strategy & Financial Planning

THE CLIENT
Cut Above was created by Andrew Raul, an entrepreneur and artist who believes in challenging himself to be his best self and wanted to help others achieve their goals. Setting the bar high, Andrew wasn’t satisfied with a zero alcohol spirit that was a disappointing proxy for the real thing. In collaboration with a master mixologist and flavor experts, he came up with the precise ingredients that deliver the taste and the experience of a top shelf spirit.

THE CHALLENGE
To create an alcohol-free portfolio of “spirits” that tasted the same as the real thing and functioned like the original spirit in cocktails. We didn’t want watery substitutes loaded with sugar and other artificial ingredients.

SOLUTION

Cut Above’s visionary founder anticipated the growth of the non-alc adult beverages.  He set out to create the best tasting alcohol-free spirits that would taste like the real thing and could replace alcohol in taste and functionality in cocktails.  SCG paired the founder with the best flavor development house to create an alcohol free gin, whiskey, tequila and mezcal.  We then art directed the creation of the package design, materials, website and advertising campaigns.  SCG created a market launch plan and financial model then managed the marketing and e-commerce for the launch of all four products.  Results include placement at top consumer and trade events, partner alignment with a top musician, robust B2B and B2C ecommerce sales and many accolades.

Services Provided

  • Brand Strategy, Naming & Development
  • Formulation Development
  • Market Launch Strategy & Budget
  • Financial Model
  • B2B and B2C E-commerce & Digital Marketing Management
  • Content & Campaign Creation
  • Partnership Management

Results

  • Multiple Product Awards
  • Cocktail Program Creation
  • Outstanding Foundational Brand Content
  • Successful e-commerce and B2B web platform
  •  Compelling Ad Campaigns with Conversion Optimization and improving ROI
  • Alignment with Major Musician for Concerts and Award Shows

Case Study

Cachacier

Market Launch Strategy & Financial Planning

THE CLIENT
Cachacier is an online boutique for hard to find, premium Cachaça, a complex cane spirit from Brazil. Because the founder lives both in Brazil and the US, he is able to find beautiful, small production cachacas that Americans wouldn’t normally have access to. Sourcing aged and unaged Cachaças from many different regions of Brazil was a passion that the founder wanted to share with others.

THE ASK
SCG created the brand, brand strategy, package design and e-commerce solution that reflected the Brazilian roots while appealing to US consumers. We also worked with the founder to create a robust website and ecommerce platform that provided category education and room for expansion as new treasured products were found.

Results

Cachacier has successfully attracted Cachaça enthusiasts and people who are new to the category. They will release new batches each year continuing to educate the curious consumer and share hard to find Cachaças with US enthusiasts.

“Award Winning Rebranding”

Enjoy an Array of Tasting Experiences

CHALLENGE
The brand owners came to us because they wanted to launch their small production, all-natural sparkling sangria in the US market.

OVERVIEW
It was a beautiful product, taste-wise, but the problem was that it was in a package almost identical to another sangria brand already on the market. The second challenge was that the brand was using high-quality ingredients, which demanded a higher price point in the market where traditionally sangrias have been overly sweet, cheap, and artificial. We needed to redo the alcohol branding and package and create a brand marketing strategy that reflected the premium ingredients of the brand. Once the package and brand strategy were complete, we needed to create the route-to-market strategy, the budget, and the launch plan. Once launched, our challenge was to demonstrate that this was not just another cheap, sweet sangria but was a sophisticated product worthy of key accounts and pairing with food. We planned and executed a series of trade and consumer events to get liquid on lips and demonstrate the fun, sophisticated nature of the brand.

rebranding

Services Provided

    • alcohol branding and package re-design for 4 pack, outer carton & materials
    • Brand marketing strategy & visual identity creation
    • Route to market strategy & financial model
    • Market launch plan & execution
    • Social media & Influencer management
    • U.S. marketing & brand management

Results

  • Multiple package design awards
  • Created and managed digital footprint
  • Secured top tier distribution partner
  • executed over 100 trade activations in launch year
  • executed 45 influencer events FOR launch
  • Supported over 150 accounts in 2 major US markets
Spirits Consulting Group alcohol branding and brand marketing strategy

“PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT”

HAIKARA

www.umenoyado.com/en/
@umenoyadoshuzo

CHALLENGE
SCG was tapped by a hundred-year-old sake brewery selling its products in 33 countries to create new alcohol branding and a product specifically made for the US market. Our client wanted to respect the authenticity of sake production and their family’s five generations of expertise, but they wanted a product that would appeal to an American consumer – not necessarily a sake consumer – and that could be sold in top bars and restaurants, not only Japanese and sushi restaurants.

SOLUTION
Our solution was to create an easily pronounceable brand name and gorgeous alcohol branding with a stunning bottle and package that would appeal to the U.S. consumer. We then worked with Sake sommeliers to choose the right taste profile for an American palette. Once the product was finished, we created a brand marketing strategy and cocktail program that would facilitate bars’ and restaurants’ incorporation into their beverage programs. The results were several package designs awards and the introduction of the product into key accounts in California and New York City such as the Rainbow Room.

Services Provided

  • Created alcohol branding, identity & brand marketing strategy
  • Package & bottle design
  • Developed market launch strategy & financial plan
  • Trade marketing & cocktail program creation
  • digital marketing strategy
  • press and influencer management

Results

  • design awards
  • trade influencer program, 23 press placements
  • Activated 18 top level accounts at launch
  • content strategy & development
  • designed all sales & educational material
  • Defined all target accounts & kpis for sales team