Welcome back to The Shoppe! This week we’re talking about YouTube’s new TikTok lookalike, a new media solution for the adult beverage category, Boston Beer’s new partnership with PepsiCo, and more! Don’t forget to subscribe so you can be notified every time we post!

YouTube’s New TikTok Lookalike

In its recent effort to attract the attention of the Gen Z population, YouTube has come out with its own short-form video offering, YouTube Shorts. This is one of the Google-owned platform’s largest brand marketing campaigns to date and the company has already invested $100 million into this TikTok lookalike. The ads targeted at Gen Z users emphasize how easy it is to post to the portal through mobile, with a dedicated destination that hosts the Shorts videos on the main YouTube app. YouTube’s aggressive strategy certainly has generated some wins in terms of engagement (more than 15 billion daily views), yet, Shorts faces stiff competition and it’s not just from TikTok. Snapchat and Facebook are both putting hefty resources behind their own TikTok copycats. However, YouTube is making an effort to differentiate Shorts by partnering with artists such as The Weeknd, whose new single is featured prominently in the ads. 

Marketing Efficiency Advances for the Adult Beverage Category

A new media solution has been introduced to the adult beverage realm by Inmar Intelligence, that is powered by first-party data from Kroger, Tops, Smart & Final along with others. Retailers and brands have been moving quickly to leverage technologies that improve marketing efficiency and targeting. “Adult beverage brands can now optimize their advertising budgets like never before through precise targeting and campaign auto-optimization based on specific, near real-time category purchases,” says Inmar Intelligence’s general manager of media and data, Aaron Kechley. Since this innovation of knowing which advertising worked and with whom can happen in near real times, this allows for campaigns to be optimized very quickly. Additionally, this enhanced capability of the data network enables brands to precisely target verified purchasers of adult beverage products, and measure the impact of media on omnichannel sales right down to the category, brand, or UPC level. The activation of first-party grocer data puts adult beverage brands in a position to accelerate digital transformation, increase shopper loyalty, and profitably drive sales as competition for consumer attention continues to accelerate in the adult beverage market.

The Boston Beer and PepsiCo Partnership

On August 10th, The Boston Beer Company and PepsiCo announced their business collaboration to produce the newest alcoholic beverage, Hard Mtn Dew. This no-sugar added product is expected to hit the shelves in early 2022 where Boston Beer will develop and produce the beverage and PepsiCo has set up a new entity to sell, deliver, and merchandise the product. Soda makers are continuously on the lookout for new ways to enter the alcohol category as consumers simultaneously are looking for new flavors and ways to imbibe. This move into the alcoholic beverage realm enables PepsiCo to provide more choices to satisfy their consumers’ needs, depending on the place, time, or preference and also gives the company an alcohol product to compete with its archrival Coca-Cola. On the other hand, this new product will grant Boston Beer the opportunity to grow its portfolio beyond its iconic Sam Adams beer, which has been struggling for years. Boston Beer is no stranger to adding alcohol to popular drinks, take Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard Hard Cider for example. For this reason, this partnership will allow for the company to bring its beverage development expertise to create Hard Mtn Dew while PepsiCo uses its vigorous distribution network to get the product on retailer shelves. 

Instagram Reveals its Reels Algorithm Insights 

If you’re looking to tap into the Instagram Reels game to grow your business, but aren’t exactly sure what to post or how to maximize engagement, then you’re in luck! Just recently, Instagram shared an overview of the key factors that it considers when ranking Reels which points to how you can maximize your reach if you align with these elements. First off, Instagram outlines how it determines which Reels each user is likely to be interested in based upon whether the user watches the Reel all the way through, if they hit the like button, if they comment on it, and if they click through to the audio page to make their own Reel with the sound. Additionally, Instagram factors in “video understanding based on pixels and whole frames” meaning the app matches up what you engage with by showing you similar content based on an AI system that determines what is shown in each clip. It’s also important to keep in mind that Instagram will in fact limit the reach of clips whether it’s because they were reshared from TikTok (which it can pick out using watermark identification) or if the Reel includes political issues. Reels are designed for more light-hearted and fun content, so if you’re looking to run for a political candidate or group, Reels most likely isn’t the place to do so. Click here to learn more about the Reels algorithm and how it works!