Aperol vs. Lillet: Who Reigns as the Best Aperitif in the Beverage Industry?
Hey readers! This week I’m switching it up. Interested in the global spirits industry? Well then this article is just for you.
With a portfolio of over 50 premium alcohol brands that are marketed in several regions globally, Campari Group is the parent company of Aperol, more famously known for their subsidiary brand’s signature drink: An “Aperol Spritz.”
Delving into some background context behind the alcohol, “Aperol” is made of an Italian aperitif, which is by definition a “refreshing alcoholic drink that is served before a meal to stimulate the appetite.” Apéritifs are very common in Europe, particularly in France and Italy. There are many different types of apéritifs, though all favor a general taste profile:
- Sugar tends to limit the amount of non-sugary foods that a person wants to eat, so apéritifs lean toward a drier, more bitter (or herbal) flavor.
- The appetite is also diminished when there’s too much alcohol in the system, and that is why apéritifs are often low-proof.
- Apéritifs include wines and fortified wines, botanical or bitter spirits, and many are served with carbonated beverages.
Information above sourced from TheSpruceEats Newsletter.
This light and citrusy drink gained popularity in the U.S. in the early 2000’s after being acquired by Campari Group, the company that put serious advertising revenue behind the Aperol Spritz, pushing it to be the “go-to” drink at social events. It is still a very popular drink today.
Being coined the “most popular drink of the summer” due to its sunset-like red-orange color and fun atmosphere marketed behind the drink, Aperol Spritz’s have become a staple summer drink for people in Europe, North America, and now breaking through the Asia market.
Here is the most common way to prepare an Aperol Spritz:
Being so popular in these three regions now, but mostly in Italy, what direct competitor has a chance to earn the new Aperitivo spotlight? Let’s compare and contrast Lillet, a French aperitif with Aperol, the original Italian aperitif.
Prepared in a similar fashion, a Lillet Spritz uses their own aperitif and club soda with an orange garnish to produce a similar taste to an Aperol Spritz.
In my opinion, this seems like a second version or almost a copy of the Aperol Spritz, with very nuanced enhancements.
The campaign for the “Lillet Spritz” in the last 12 months has been marketed as follows: “Yours to define.” I will compare and contrast Aperol Spritz style of commercial and campaigning with Lillet’s brand messaging. Here are the two commercials:
As you may have noticed, Lillet as a brand goes for a more sophisticated, classy, and almost sensual nature with their commercial having a lady voiceover with a cryptic tagline, Lillet is “yours to define”. This leaves mystery and mystique to the brand which almost makes me want to categorize it as a very sophisticated drink with perhaps a different target audience than Aperol Spritz’s. Aperol on the other hand, has a fun-styled, community-driven, and social aura to its commercial. I feel that Aperol is aiming its product towards a younger demographic (possibly people in their early 20’s to early 30’s), whereas Lillet goes for an elegant approach designed for maybe older demographics starting in their early 30’s.
Lillet’s brand objective is to differentiate its positioning in the beverage market from Aperol with its slight nuances. Although this aperitif is French instead of Italian, Lillet also makes an excellent, complex Spritz. It isn’t as extremely flavored as Aperol (existing somewhere in the middle of bitter and sweet), but it comes in Blanc (white), Rosé, and Rouge (red) options, so you have even more customization potential. The Lillet Spritz is more fragrant, and lighter on the palate than the Aperol Spritz, as Aperol tends to be a bit of a polarizing taste for some.
I did a comparison analysis on SimilarWeb.com contrasting the reaction between the Aperol brand and Lillet’s brand to gauge more of what actions they wanted their target audiences to take.
The data below describes the industry rank, global rank, and total traffic to both brand’s websites in the last three months.
Based on the data collected above, it is clear to see that there is a true winner in the market as of 2023. Aperol dominates as the winner of most traffic, engagement, visits, impressions, and worldwide ranking on the spritz aperitif. With 1.19 million visits on their website, aperol.com has a much higher worldwide tracking rate implying that it is more well known that lillet.com which got less than half of the total visits from July to September of this year.
In order to position itself as different for their target audience, especially from Aperol, Lillet utilized a different social media channel to gain a wider audience. Joining forces with Pinterest made perfect sense as the brand’s core target — women aged 24 to 49 sensitive to trends, style and well-being — represents more than a third of Pinterest’s users. While Aperol targets young people by letting them use hashtags and post on Instagram, they also have large regional social media presences. Each local market is aware of the Aperol brand in their own context. Aperol is aimed towards 18–44 ages while Lillet is for a slightly older aged target audience, hence the more “mature” atmosphere it gives off. Pinterest was channeled for Lillet, which is mainly for popular with the Millenial Generation, while Aperol has a big following and presence on Instagram, very popular with Gen Z to Millenials. While only a generation apart, there is a slight difference with Lillet being intentionally targeted for Millenials and Aperol being mainly targeted for the Gen Z crowd. The use of local pages on Instagram also gives Aperol a wider brand awareness among global markets. The strategy is different but is successful for both brands.
I think the Lillet campaign was smart, as Mothers and Millenials are typically looking at Pinterest for home decor and cooking ideas, as well as vision boards, but there could have been more thought put into just a generic voiceover for Lillet’s commercial. Similarly, while Aperol is branded as a “fun” drink, the hashtag #TogetherWeJoy and visuals of groups of people can come off quite generic as well. Maybe having more of a specific storyline or plot to their otherwise community driven commercials, would give the brand more of an “oomph”.
Three Reasons Lillet is Gradually Rising for the Millenial Consumer
- Utilizing the right social media channels such as Pinterest is spot on for the brand’s target consumer of Millenials and females (mothers, and working women.) Using Pinterest mood boards, one can visualize themselves getting a Lillet Spritz after a day of work during dusk with their friends or coworkers. It is marketed as a more feminine drink to get with friends so there is a social aspect to it.
- There is a customization facet to the drink and it is not as intense tasting as an Aperol Spritz. Its for a refined palette and can be easily adjustable making it easy to catch onto for people in the late twenties and early thirties who may already have a refined taste palette with alcoholic beverages.
- Lillet’s creative approach and dignified aesthetic gives the brand a stylish and refined visual, making adult women more inclined to go for a Lillet Spritz, rather than an Aperol Spritz which seems a little younger.
Overall, there is in my perspective, a good amount of potential for the Lillet bottle to flourish even though it is not as mainstream as an Aperol Spritz. With the right positioning and different target age and gender demographics, Lillet could eventually become an alternative for Aperol. On a personal note, I am rooting for the future of Lillet.
Salute, readers!
