beverages

Redd's Apple Ale Breaks Top 10

MillerCoors’ Redd’s Apple Ale made the top 10 list of best-perceived beers in America, according to the annual St. Patrick’s Day ranking conducted by consumer perception research firm YouGov BrandIndex.

The cider-like beverage debuted in fifth place, tied with Corona. Redd’s, which just began distributing two new flavors, Redd’s Wicked Mango and Redd’s Green Apple Ale, displaced Miller Lite from the list.

Meanwhile, Samuel Adams and Budweiser are the two best-perceived beers in America. Samuel Adams achieved perception levels more than twice as high as the third-place brand, Dos Equis.

Samuel Adams is the dominant beer brand in New York, Los Angeles and Boston, while Miller Lite is in the top spot in Chicago. Last year, Miller Lite was not in Chicago’s top 10 ranking and Samuel Adams was on top in Chicago. Sam Adams is now in third place there.

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YouGov BrandIndex CEO Ted Marzilli said he found Redd’s appearance on the list surprising.

“It is a beer brand that leverages the recent wave of interest in cider, and seems to be doing pretty well,” Marzilli tells Marketing Daily.

Local beer brand perception differs widely as well, he says. Chicago seems to have undergone the biggest shifts in beer brand perception of the four major cities tracked, he adds.

“It is also interesting to see Miller Lite displace Samuel Adams as the number one brand in Chicago,” Marzilli says. “Of course, Miller has its roots in the Midwest even though it is now part of London-based SAB Miller.”

The shifts at both the local and national levels are a “clear indicator” that even in an industry dominated by two or three global players, there is opportunity for brand marketers to take advantage of emerging trends (such as ciders) or local preferences (like Chicago’s) to unseat some of the more traditional brands, he adds.

Blue Moon cracked the top 10 beer brands in New York, LA and Boston, but not Chicago. Blue Moon was number three last year in that city. Blue Moon is in the 11th spot in the national ranking.

Of the four cities, the craft beer Fat Tire made the top 10 in Los Angeles. Fat Tire came in at number 13 on the national ranking.

All major beer brands were measured using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which ask respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" All results reflect adults age 21 and over.

Scores were compiled during the 12-week period leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, where 7,000 adults age 21 and over were interviewed. The results have a  +/- 1% margin of error.

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