Branding within the alcohol industry : A study on the Swedish & global market

Abstract: Background A brand is the image of the company, a brief explanation of the society's view on alcohol being a normalized activity and accepted by society. There are a lot of risks with branding, therefore the importance of strategic branding and brand management is becoming more crucial all the time. The comparison between global and Swedish branding is being analysed to see differences.   Purpose The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of the branding on the alcohol business, and different factors that have an impact.   Method The research is based on a qualitative research approach, where interviews from three different size brands and two other companies were conducted. The representatives were either founders or specialists from the company.   Findings The focus of the interviews was to get the interviewee's perspectives on different aspects of branding. The first section is the creativity of the brands like Hernö creating and participates in competitions, Lisch is recycling their bottles. Then comparing how the companies work in Sweden vs globally. Other sections were if they were happy with their current market position. The last section is if they have made any changes in the branding, like Absolut that is a well-established company that has been around for a long time and lived through many trends in the market like a flavored spirit or the demand for premium products and now the sustainability aspect.