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At first glance, the liquor business doesn’t seem to necessarily need customer-centric innovation. After all, revenue from the alcoholic beverages market has grown steadily over the past decade and is expected to continue even after a slight decline in the wake of Covid-19. Drinks have become a crucial part of the experience for many customers, whether it’s a casual evening out with friends or a more formal occasion. To top it off, the industry has diversified its offerings to meet changing consumer preferences, from bespoke tasting events, mocktails and low-calorie beverages to artisanal production.

But if you take a closer look, you’ll find that most of these trends have influenced wine and beer, not spirits. Low-sugar fitness wines and localized niche beers have grown significantly in prominence over the past few decades, but innovation around spirits has taken more time. Small distilleries have sprung up in the same way that craft breweries did years ago, but for the most part, their unique products have not become mass marketed. After all, the way companies introduce new beverages to their customers hasn’t changed dramatically in the recent past.

We are starting to see some organizations changing their approach. Pernod Ricard recently launched its Absolut Juice, a blend of vodka with natural flavors aimed at Generation Z consumers for earlier occasions like brunch and barbecue. Likewise, more and more liquor brands are promoting sustainable production plans to appeal to a younger, more environmentally conscious customer base. But there is still a lot of room to redefine the liquor business, both in terms of offering itself and the customer experience. So how do you find new ways to appeal to customers?

This is where Jobs To Be Done comes in – a theory that puts the deepest needs and desires of the customer at the center of innovation. Companies often innovate based on what customers have bought in the past, not why. You could ask customers what they want from a product or service and how their offering could be improved. But this mindset limits the range of possible solutions as it draws on what customers are currently buying. This means that entire sectors have limited their growth by simply mimicking past approaches rather than really developing new ways to connect with customers.

The liquor business is no exception, as the story of a French startup called Côquetelers tells us. The independent bottling company, founded in 2019, has set itself the task of introducing the French to the wide range of original spirits from their country. By partnering with small distilleries of relatively limited reach and notoriety, Côquetelers bridges the gap between highly unusual flavors and an eager, urban customer base – reinventing the way people appreciate and consume spirits. From their products and customer experiences to their marketing strategy, Côquetelers has shown how applying a jobs to be done approach can redefine the spirits category. Here is how.

1. Address unfulfilled sales orders that need to be done. People consume alcohol for a variety of reasons. You can celebrate a specific event or enjoy a festive evening after a long day at work. The types of drinks they’re attracted to also depend on the time of day, the surroundings, and the people they’re with. Companies know this and have set up entire marketing campaigns around these emotional jobs.

But that’s just one part of the story. Whether you have a deep interest or just want to try something new, more and more customers want to go beyond their typical whiskey, rum or gin. As with other categories like cheese, fashion, and cosmetics, they also tend to make more ethical choices about who to buy from. Looking at related industries, it can be assumed that many customers prefer to invest in local products or support small businesses, especially in a market that is dominated by a handful of multinational corporations like Pernod Ricard.

How do the Côquetelers deal with these subordinate jobs to be done? The answer lies in their value proposition: quality and authenticity. The company prides itself on reviving forgotten facets of French heritage – obscure flavors from fir liqueur to whiskey and chestnut blends. To do this, they work with artisanal distilleries from different regions who specialize in the production of these unconventional spirits. Many of these distilleries had avoided working with large distributors, but trusted this smaller startup to expand their reach. Urban customers, in turn, can discover these spirits in their neighborhood bar or through a selection of samples that are packaged and delivered to their home.

2. Consider the job drivers. As customers’ attitudes or circumstances change, so do their priorities. We call these attitudes and circumstances job drivers – factors that determine whether a job is more or less important to a particular customer.

For Côqueteler, Covid-19 was an important factor to watch out for. As the days melted into one another during the lockdown, people felt a new hunger for surprise and discovery. Many of us had no place other than home, took up new hobbies, changed our routines – all to feel like we were learning something new and finding excitement.

The Côquetelers chose to capitalize on this sentiment by offering their own excitement. Thanks to their online inventory and library of video recipes, customers were able to order kits on their website to make cocktails at home. Not only were they able to spice things up with a funky drink, but they also learned how to mix the ingredients and make these cocktails from scratch.

Different job drivers require different approaches. As the lockdown restrictions were gradually relaxed, the Côquetelers began to think about new ways to reach customers. Learning and discovery were still important, but most people felt the need to connect with others. After months in detention, many of us were finally able to see our friends and family, meet new people, and feel part of a community.

To meet this need, Côquetelers plans to open a distillery pub in Paris – a concept imported from abroad in which a fully functional distillery doubles as a bar and restaurant. Customers can have a drink or a meal, but they can also learn about the production process and create their own mixes. Whether they’re coming to an event or quietly fermenting their spirits, customers have a place to come back and socialize.

3. Overcome obstacles in adoption. Some of us will have had this experience: you’re on a wine tasting, maybe with friends and family, or maybe it’s a professional matter. You taste every wine that is in front of you and you are amazed. What words do you use to describe what you are feeling? How do you know you are using the correct terminology?

Now, take the same tasting and replace the wine with spirits you’ve never heard of. A Flandres-Artois juniper liqueur? A gingerbread mix mixed with calvados? Things have only gotten more complicated.

We call these challenges acceptance barriers – sources of difficulties that could deter customers from purchasing a product or service. Food & beverage companies are constantly struggling with this: Many customers are reluctant to try something new. Côquetelers was aware of this, especially in the alcohol business, where there are expectations of the appreciation or discussion of a drink. Whether you’re at a tasting or reading the label of a bottle, the process of discovering a new drink can feel quite formal, even stuffy, and is based on complex terminology that the average person hardly catches on. At best, the customer remains unable to articulate his or her experience; in the worst case scenario, they come out intimidated.

In response, the Côquetelers decided to remove the pomp by making the discovery experience simple and intuitive – both in terms of packaging and tasting events. Instead of resorting to industry jargon, they use more evocative language and allow their audience to associate each spirit with a relatable memory. A melon liqueur might remind you of the sound of cicadas on a hot summer day; a sweet juniper mixture brings you back to the scents of a bakery early in the morning. At the same time, Côquetelers offers customers a more accessible vocabulary to express and increase their enjoyment.

Their emphasis on simplicity goes beyond terminology. For those interested in making cocktails at home, Côquetelers makes sure that every recipe is easy to follow: they contain few ingredients, understandable dosages and simple tools. This pared-back approach is especially important considering that customers are introduced to unusual flavors.

Finally, the liquor industry is ripe for change across the board. From experimental flavors to a different approach to tasting, companies can use Jobs to be Done to appeal to their customers in entirely new ways. Identify unfulfilled jobs for you to fulfill, adapt your approach to changing job drivers, and make sure you address the barriers along the way.

This piece was written with my colleague Charlotte Desprat.

Contribution to Branding Strategy Insider by Steve Wunker, author of JOBS TO BE DONE: A Roadmap for Customer-Centered Innovation

The Blake Project can help you create a better competitive future in the Jobs to be Done workshop

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