Beverage marketing has reached a wellness inflection point

The category that grew on habit, scale and share-of-shelf now meets a consumer who decides before the aisle: more than 65% of beverage purchases are planned, alcohol brand value fell 11% in 2025 as no- and low-alcohol consumption rises, and legal-drinking-age Gen Z drives over half of non-alcoholic growth while wellness dominates the social conversation. Winning brands are not simply adding SKUs; they are rebuilding the marketing operating model around mental availability, governing investment across retail media, social and CTV as one, and holding every partner to measurable value. VA helps beverage leaders orchestrate that ecosystem, optimise the media mix and prove ROI.