Major beverage brand sees open rates soar 40% above average with help from BrandMuscle

In the highly regulated bev-alc industry, suppliers cannot legally sell directly to consumers. Enter the 3-tier system — supplier >> distributor >> retailer — which presents some challenges for brands trying to engage with their end consumer.

This leading beverage alcohol supplier wanted to market their products at the hyper-local level while navigating these state and local regulations.

It sought a way to cost-effectively and efficiently reach consumers but needed help.

BrandMuscle leveraged its relationship with beverage alcohol distributor clients to create a full-service email marketing program focusing on the supplier’s new product launches and updates.

All emails are now co-branded with the distributor’s essential information and branding — logo and contact details — and customized to the local markets.

These strategic email campaigns are sent directly to the retail accounts on behalf of the distributors, effectively bridging the gap between suppliers and customers.

BrandMuscle does the heavy lifting for the customer by setting up the campaigns and reporting on email performance insights. The team provides ongoing strategy and optimization recommendations as well as a full reply management program to ensure nothing slipped through the cracks.

As one Distributor Account Manager shared, “The majority of sales calls are 30 minutes or less. The emails act like a pre-emptive sales call. They are a great way to introduce new products while being conscious of the fast-paced restaurant industry.”

Since launching this program, the BrandMuscle team has helped send:

• 400+ annual email campaigns
• 200K+ annual emails to customers

All while seeing a 40% higher open rate over the industry standard.