Spirits Brands Ranked by Cultural Resonance Score™

Study Examines How Well Brands Resonate With Culture;

Brands With Higher Cultural Resonance Scores Can Expect to Grow Business Better Than Their Competitors

DALLAS, TX — Last year, TMA, the agency that specializes in creating cultural resonance for brands, introduced its proprietary Cultural Resonance Score™ (CRS) as a way to measure a brand’s standing in culture.  “A high CRS was found to help brands grow business better (as much as 25% more) than their competitors. Cultural resonance, as opposed to cultural relevance, goes beyond mere transactions to aligning the brand’s worldview with that of its audience, creating a shared sense of purpose and value.

For 2024, TMA elected to focus this year’s CRS on the spirits category. That’s because the holiday season accounts for up to 40% of annual spirits sales.  The new report reveals that Gen X and Millennials are the driving force behind spirits brands’ resonance scores; and that those brands with a CRS score of 75 or higher can see exponential growth.

HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED

The TMA Cultural Resonance Score™ is a unique metric that predicts a brand’s future customer share by measuring its lasting presence in culture. Unlike tools that focus on short-term relevance, the TMA Cultural Resonance Score™ captures a brand’s deeper, long-term connection with consumers. The score not only reveals a brand’s current standing in culture, but also offers actionable insights for enhancing its cultural relevance and driving future growth.

The TMA Cultural Resonance Score™ uses data from the BERA brand equity platform to measure brands in four key areas:

Below are the most culturally resonant spirits brands heading into the 2024 holiday season. For most brands in the top 10, their strong recognition—defined by a clear understanding of the brand’s role in consumers’ minds—is the key driver of their cultural resonance.

The Top 10 Spirits Brands Across All Demographics

Brands achieving a TMA Cultural Resonance Score™ of 75 or higher can see exponential growth, with every 10-point increase resulting in a 7.5% customer base expansion. Focusing on engagement and advocacy can help to hit that sweet spot.

Below: Heat map of the strongest and weakest pillars for each brand. Green=strongest, red=weakest

Gen X and Millennials are the driving force behind the rise of top spirit brands. By contrast, spirit brands lack overall resonance with Boomers, with no brand ranking greater than the 50^th percentile, meaning over half of all measured US brands are more resonant than spirits for them.  

TMA Cultural Resonance Score^TM Index vs Total Population

	Millennials	Gen X
Five Trail Whiskey	104	109
Woodford Reserve Whiskey	125	93
Tito’s Handmade Vodka	112	103
Crown Royal Whiskey	118	111
Herradura Tequila	113	100
Jack Daniel’s Whiskey	123	113
Kraken Black Spiced Rum	110	115
The Macallan Whiskey	113	113
Dalwhinnie Whiskey	119	94
Patron Tequila	125	112

Spirits brands’ resonance differs among multicultural audiences. For example, on this basis, Crown Royal ranks #1 and 1800 Tequila, a brand that didn’t even crack the top ten, ranks #2.  In fact, multicultural audiences have a distinct preference for different spirit brands, sharing only three of the top ten brands with the total population. Notably, the overall cultural resonance within this group is stronger, with top brands ranking 11 percentage points higher than the strongest brand for the total population. Additionally, tequila brands hold greater resonance among multicultural consumers, while whiskey brands dominate resonance with the total population.

Top 10 Spirit Brands among Multicultural Audience

IMPLICATIONS

Cultural resonance is achieved when a) audiences have clarity of the brand’s point-of-view on the world; b) the point-of-view is agreeable to the audience; c) the audience is so engaged with the brand that they spend time with it; and d) they become brand advocates.

Creating cultural resonance requires commitment, consistency, and empathy. But as the results demonstrate, it’s well worth it.

For further information or to obtain a Cultural Resonance Score^TM for a brand, contact Jean Scheidnes at TMA.