Rosie Davenport bids farewell to notorious, trailblazing Hooch
The amount of national press coverage generated by our exclusive story last week about the demise of Hooch is a useful reminder of how the RTD brand caught the public’s imagination following its launch in 1995.
From day one, Hooper’s Hooch hit the headlines - but often for all the wrong reasons. Allegations that it fuelled a culture of underage drinking with its ‘alcoholic lemonade’ tag threatened to kill it off at the start of its eight-year life.
Surrounded by Bacardi Breezer and other early ‘alcopops’ that played it safe, the controversy surrounding Hooch gave it a unique platform. Young drinkers saw it as an anarchic brand, set apart from established drinks like beer and cider.
This trailblazing status gave brand managers the confidence to promote it with unconventional cartoon-style ads and irreverent comedian Paul Kaye.
Its level of notoriety was such that its owner Coors Brewers even launched a spin-off called Hooper’s Reef, which has long since dropped the prefix and gone on to make its own mark.
And the biggest drinks suppliers in the business have subsequently tried their hand in the RTD arena after witnessing what Hooch achieved.
Paul Flanagan, commercial PR manager at Diageo, home to Smirnoff Ice, says: “Hooch was a pioneering brand that created the foundations of the market. Then, brands like Smirnoff Ice came out in the late 1990s and brought stability and credibility.”
Crucially, with this credibility came more serious, grown-up marketing that forced Coors to re-evaluate Hooch’s position.
But, the alcopop party is far from over. Market analysts Mintel reveal UK consumers knocked back 278 million litres of the stuff last year - compared to 97 million in Hooch’s 1998 heyday.
However, the demise of Hooch shows competition is tough for RTDs. The high profile exit of Diageo’s Gordon’s Edge earlier this year is proof that, although brands are becoming more sophisticated, suppliers still need to court the right kind of attention if they are to survive.
The amount of national press coverage generated by our exclusive story last week about the demise of Hooch is a useful reminder of how the RTD brand caught the public’s imagination following its launch in 1995.
From day one, Hooper’s Hooch hit the headlines - but often for all the wrong reasons. Allegations that it fuelled a culture of underage drinking with its ‘alcoholic lemonade’ tag threatened to kill it off at the start of its eight-year life.
Surrounded by Bacardi Breezer and other early ‘alcopops’ that played it safe, the controversy surrounding Hooch gave it a unique platform. Young drinkers saw it as an anarchic brand, set apart from established drinks like beer and cider.
This trailblazing status gave brand managers the confidence to promote it with unconventional cartoon-style ads and irreverent comedian Paul Kaye.
Its level of notoriety was such that its owner Coors Brewers even launched a spin-off called Hooper’s Reef, which has long since dropped the prefix and gone on to make its own mark.
And the biggest drinks suppliers in the business have subsequently tried their hand in the RTD arena after witnessing what Hooch achieved.
Paul Flanagan, commercial PR manager at Diageo, home to Smirnoff Ice, says: “Hooch was a pioneering brand that created the foundations of the market. Then, brands like Smirnoff Ice came out in the late 1990s and brought stability and credibility.”
Crucially, with this credibility came more serious, grown-up marketing that forced Coors to re-evaluate Hooch’s position.
But, the alcopop party is far from over. Market analysts Mintel reveal UK consumers knocked back 278 million litres of the stuff last year - compared to 97 million in Hooch’s 1998 heyday.
However, the demise of Hooch shows competition is tough for RTDs. The high profile exit of Diageo’s Gordon’s Edge earlier this year is proof that, although brands are becoming more sophisticated, suppliers still need to court the right kind of attention if they are to survive.
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