Whenever we identify a buzz about a new product or service, we wonder how far that new product will go. Like the euphoria around the Clubhouse app, there are many examples of brands, categories and solutions that get hyped but quickly lose that initial interest. This does not seem to be the case with zero drinks, especially beer.
The high demand for these drinks during the holiday season, as seen in the Google trends chart, indicates more than a general interest in the topic. In fact, the category seems to be gaining ground at celebrations, where toasting without alcohol may no longer be taboo.
A sign that this is a trend is the market’s quick response to this interest with a product offering that just continues growing. Ambev and Heineken have already expanded their portfolios with non-alcoholic drinks. Beer, the flagship products of both companies practically doubled their sales between 2019 and 2021, according to Euromonitor.
Heineken launched a zero-alcohol beer that became very popular with consumers: data from NielsenIQ shows that Heineken 0.0 led sales among non-alcoholic beer in 2023 in Brazil. Ambev’s zero-alcohol version of Corona, which entered the market in 2024, associating the brand with well-being, is the world’s first beer with vitamin D enrichment. The case of Corona, however, is not the pioneer within the Ambev portfolio, which had already developed Brahma 0.0 10 years ago, before today’s intense demand. Another beer giant that bet on a zero version is Diageo’s Guinness.
All the talk about zero alcohol seems to be centered around well-being. Research by IWSR consultancy indicates that more than half of people who say they consume zero alcohol drinks do so for a desire to be healthier, in addition to 47% who define their motivation to reduce alcohol consumption. Thirty-one percent find zero alcohol drinks to be good alternatives to their alcoholic pairs.
Reflecting this data, Instagram and TikTok now feature several accounts dedicated to producing content focused on mocktails, cocktails made with non-alcoholic drinks, such as the Mocktail Girlie and Mocktail Club accounts, as well as several nutritionists who talk about the benefits of an alcohol-free diet. Several far-reaching influencers have also invested in partnerships with zero-alcohol beverage brands.
The beer industry has explored the topic in another way, both Heineken Zero and Corona Cero have focused more on relating the proposal to marketing strongly associated with sports. Whether through gastronomy or the well-being clan, the fact is that there is still a lot of room for this conversation to evolve, indicates that this is probably not a fad. The positioning of the zero-alcohol drinks category in the context of celebration consumption has many cultural and generational elements to be addressed by brands, influencers, and the public. The point is not to glorify formulas and features, but to better explore the way people see their gatherings and parties.
