Cranberry juice and vodka already go together—so putting them in a single package made sense for both Ocean Spray and Absolut, the companies said.
“It takes take existing consumer behavior and delivers it in a very convenient, ready-to-drink format,” said Dabek. “I think because our brand is so synonymous with consumers relative to cranberry, that when we find the right partnership—vodka cranberry comes to mind—then having a brand like Absolut makes all the sense in the world to go after.”
Absolut and Ocean Spray’s vodka-cranberry line represents Absolut’s first entry into “sessionable” RTD cocktails—a rapidly-growing category led by High Noon. The forthcoming product contains 4.5% alcohol by volume, or about the same as a light beer. This has opened up liquor products to occasions beer once dominated.
Natalie Accari, VP of RTD and convenience for Pernod Ricard, said Ocean Spray is the top brand of cranberry juice consumers mix with Absolut. The brand’s inclusion in the RTD brings “credibility” as compared to competitors such as High Noon and Nutrl, which don’t specify a brand of liquor or juice they use.
“There are some non-branded vodkas—you don’t know what is inside a lot of these RTDs. So we’re proud to bring our consumers a quality proposition with Absolut and Ocean Spray,” she said.
The forthcoming drink is one of many non-alcoholic drink brands now getting boozy interpretations amid the RTD craze, including Sunny D Vodka Seltzer, Hard Mtn Dew and Simply Spiked lemonade.
