Lemonati | LemOh Hard Setlzer & RTD Brand Development

Competitors

Competitors The hard seltzer and spirit based RTD segments were well established. Spirit based RTD’s have been around for years, with Brown Forman, Gallo, and many others having had brands that were largely ignored until recently. Hard seltzers saw a huge surge in popularity, only to stall out post-pandemic once consumers were looking for a more cocktail-forward experience. Our research went between the two categories to establish any similarities between the hypergrowth categories and what consumers were latching onto. This helped provide a picture of how competitors were addressing the beverage space and what they were doing to differentiate themselves.

Consumer Segmentation

First, we looked at the consumers who were defining the hard seltzer and spirit based RTD categories to understand the similarities and differences. Past experience with both categories helped inform our segmentation breakouts for those who consume both product types and what they look for in each. Additionally we reviewed other industries that tied into the better for you alternatives that were continuing to take shape.

Naming

Our parameters were specific: include lemon and make it “light hearted.” Given we had to name two entities, we started with the corporate brand. We wanted to develop something that addressed the lemon groves and their discovery of something naturally occurring in nature. Through a few different rounds we landed on “Lemonati” a play on the illuminati (given their vast lemon experience) and a combination of “lemon” and “nature.” For the product brand we wanted something that addressed the surprise consumers would experience as they tried a brand with a naturally sweet lemon. We landed on “LemOh” a tie to the naturally sweetened lemon and the “oh!” experience we were aiming for with our consumer.

Framework

We began with defining the consumer opportunity, addressing a specific audience segmentation that consumed hard seltzers and spirit based RTD’s, and developed the brand framework to support that. After defining the business structure, we developed a mission, vision, values, and brand pyramid to guide Lemonati and their new brand, LemOh into the consumer landscape. Key messages and occasions were developed to give the sales and marketing team insight into who to position the brand with their respective audiences. The research conducted informed every step of this process, validating brand positioning at each step.

Strategy

The naturally sweet phenomenon was too good to be true, so we developed a campaign and visuals that brought a maximalist dream world to life, all centered around the lemon. Our approach addressed current trends our audience gravitated towards, while separating the product from the current hard seltzer and spirit-based RTD categories in the marketplace. This approach was anchored with the tagline “Get your Lem On” as a call to action, a play on the name, and something LemOh could own.

VIDEO

We started concepting using AI to capture the aesthetic we were after. Once we defined the visual look we built out CGI assets that highlighted the lemon groves and mother nature’s evolution to educate and promote the new brand.

SOCIAL

Content was developed to push boundaries but also be informative. We needed to educate a consumer on why this lemon was special and why they should care about this new drink, but do so in a manner that spoke directly to them.

RETAIL

High impact placements were created with a focus on strong color usage. We simplified the message to drive brand conversion, tying the benefits closer to what consumers expect in a better for you beverage product.

At this time the brand has been put on pause as Lemonati purchased Mighty Swell, an Austin-based hard seltzer company. The purchase was to provide an easier path to retail with Lemoh through a proven brand that has national distribution. The brand is aiming to launch in 2024.