Boston Beer Company’s promised refresh of Truly Hard Seltzer started hitting shelves this spring, with new packaging, real fruit juice and new campaigns designed to communicate a “clearer message” to consumers.
The new approach, meant to reverse Truly’s declines, is being supported by a campaign focused on “lightly fantastic” flavor, which launched this week.
“Our mission is simple: with everything we create we want to remind our audience that drinking Truly is light, fun, and joyful,” Matt Withington, Boston Beer’s senior marketing director for Truly and emerging brands, wrote in an internal email shared with Brewbound.
The new campaign includes 15- and 30-second ad spots, which will run alongside “high-profile programming” such as the NHL Playoffs, Bravo, and U.S. Soccer, according to a company spokesperson. The campaign will include a significant digital presence on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Reddit and out-of-home (OOH) marketing in key markets throughout the summer.
“To ensure that ‘Lightly Fantastic’ is impossible to miss, we’re turning up the volume on our media investment this summer,” Boston Beer wrote in its internal announcement. “Our ads will be everywhere from your TV to your phone, reminding you to embrace the lighter side of life!”
Boston Beer first announced its new approach to Truly in February, ahead of its 2022 fourth quarter and full-year earnings report. In the announcement, the company laid out five key objectives:
- “making Truly easier to find and shop;
- “more clearly communicating a more refreshing taste profile with the addition of real fruit juice;
- “refining limited-release strategy and going where beer cannot;
- “relaunching and expanding Truly Vodka Seltzer as Truly Vodka Soda;
- “kicking off the U.S. Soccer partnership” as the league’s “official hard seltzer.”
“The road to return Truly to growth in 2023 is paved with learning from 2022 and a drinker-first strategy,” Boston Beer Company CEO Dave Burwick said in a press release. “With the right tools in place, we’re confident in a Truly turnaround and share gains in the back half of the year.”
Boston Beer recorded a depletions (sales to retailers) decline of -6% and shipments (sales to wholesalers) decline of -7.6% in Q1 2023, a significant portion of which was driven by Truly declines. The hard seltzer brand continues to record downward trends, with dollar sales declining -23% and volume, measured by case sales, declining -27% in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels (total U.S. xAOC + liquor plus + convenience) in the last 52 weeks, ending April 22, according to data shared by 3 Tier Beverages.
Truly remains the No. 2 hard seltzer brand in off-premise channels, with 24.1% share of the segment, below Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw (48.9%). No other hard seltzer brand has a double-digit share of the segment.
The total hard seltzer segment recorded a -12% decline in dollar sales and -19% decline in volume in the last 52 weeks. Retailers have been responding to the segment’s decline by contracting hard seltzer shelf space, favoring major brands, which Boston Beer expects will benefit Truly this spring, Burwick said during the company’s Q1 earnings call with investors. Truly is expected to increase its share of shelf space from 25% to 27%, with White Claw and Truly the “only two that are really gaining share, as far as we know now, of the segment,” Burwick said.
Taking up some of that space will be Truly’s new Red, White & Tru variety pack. The limited time offering (LTO) is rolling out now, featuring four new flavors: Peach Burst, Blue Razz, Cherry Pop and Lemon Ice. The variety pack is the second LTO since Boston Beer launched its new Truly approach, following Wonderworld, a lightly flavored variety pack with three new flavors – Peach Drop, Strawberry Breeze and Citrus Clouds – plus a mystery flavor, Wonder What.
Truly is also expanding its line of ready-to-drink canned cocktails (RTDs). Truly Tequila Soda, a tequila-based version of the brand’s RTD, will be sold in select markets – Rhode Island, Delaware, Nevada, Minnesota, and Southern California (Los Angeles and San Diego) – starting July 1. The offering will be available in a variety 8-pack featuring four 5% ABV flavors: Lime, Grapefruit, Pineapple Guava and Spicy Watermelon.
Truly Tequila Soda is the second Truly branded spirits-based RTD, following Truly Vodka Soda (formerly Truly Vodka Seltzer), which was rebranded with a new name and fresh packaging earlier this year. A full rollout of the refreshed vodka-based offering is on shelves now, and is being supported with paid digital and social media, shopper media and retail point-of-sale items.