Not everyone makes the New Year’s resolution to refrain from consuming alcohol.
Some guests are committed to celebrating Ginuary, which goes hand in hand with another overarching, month-specific theme: Wet January.
This is much more, however, than just a rejection of Dry January.
Checking out the hashtag #Ginuary on Instagram and results in more than 15,000 posts. Searching the same platform for #DryJanuary displays over 5,000. There are more than 5,000 posts hashtagged #TryJanuary as well.
These hashtags provide valuable insights. First, Ginuary likely predates Dry January in terms of social media conversations by at least a year.
Second, gin continues to enjoy a boost in popularity and growth as a spirit (expected to grow annually by 3.9 percent worldwide this year, +5.7 percent year over year compared to 2019, according to Statista).
And third, there are conversations going on via social media—the preferred method of interpersonal communication for thousands of people—focused on trying new spirits, beers, wines and cocktails this month.
Monitoring social media is a viable method for finding out what consumers are interested in, what they want to try, and what activities they plan on participating in on a given day, week or month. In fact, studying social media to glean insights into consumer behavior is the business model of analytics platform Social Standards.
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For instance, travel and drinks influencer Susie Drinks started 2020 with what she deemed a Wet January giveaway. She intended to playfully “tempt” followers away from Dry January by giving one of them the chance to win a bottle of Tullamore DEW and a copy of the book From Barley to Blarney: A Whiskey Lover's Guide to Ireland.
Another example of the conversation around Wet January spreading on social media comes from Verve Wine, a wine club that encourages travel and discovery. This brand’s Wet January post states that Dry January isn’t their thing, but neither is excessive alcohol consumption.
“Here at Verve Wine, we believe that moderation is key—so salads and a glass of delicious white sound like the perfect way to kickoff the new decade,” reads the post tagged #WetJanuary (which also aligns with another January F&B theme, Veganuary).
That message calling for moderation brings me to living a healthier lifestyle, which leads to Earn Your Booze (EYB). Some people consider a healthy, active lifestyle to be one free of alcohol. EYB co-founders Justin Cross and Rob Hunter, and those who adhere to their ethos, think differently.
Earn Your Booze does exactly what it says on the package, so to speak: work out hard, earn an adult beverage as a reward. EYB hosts fitness and drink events around the country, often donating the proceeds from ticket sales to charity. Their goal is to inspire people to embrace the EYB mindset, summarized by several of their social media posts:
- BOOZE is the reward after the work (EARNING) has been done.
- You Sweat. You Drink.
Last week, they addressed Dry January on Instagram: “We do not participate in #DryJanuary because we work hard and EARN our BOOZE 365.”
EYB is hosting Earn Your Booze Weeks in Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, San Diego, Scottsdale, and more cities throughout 2020. For the Scottsdale #EarnYourBoozeWeek, which takes place from January 13 through January 16, they’ve partnered with TruFusion and F45 Training for unlimited classes during the event, and Riot House Scottsdale and Ballantine’s Scotch Whisky for the afterparty.
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January doesn’t have to be about abstaining from alcohol. Taking part in social media conversations related to Wet January—and jumping on trends like Ginuary to feature a particular spirit—can help operators engage with consumers who aren’t interested in Dry January.
Want to learn more about developing and supporting a healthier perception of alcohol? You’ll have the opportunity to learn directly from Justin Cross and Rob Hunter of Earn Your Booze at the 35th anniversary celebration of the Nightclub & Bar Show during their “Earn Your Booze: Mix, Shake & Stir the EYB Mindset Into Your Booze Business” presentation. Register now!