This audio is generated automatically. Please let me know if you have any comments.
As America’s drinking rates continue to decline as younger consumers increasingly turn away from alcohol, marketers in this space have had to rethink their approach. For some, this means prioritizing lower-alcohol products, a strategy with many consumers citing health concerns as a key reason for reduced consumption.
Campari, whose brands include Aperol and Picon, blends the low-alcohol nature of its products with aperitif culture to connect with younger consumers. Aperitivo, an Italian pre-dinner ritual of relaxation and socializing over light drinks and snacks, is a key concept in the company’s strategy.
Allison Varone, head of marketing at Campari America, spoke with Marketing Dive about how aperitivo culture is influencing brand marketing, how they’re approaching other issues like uncertainty in the bourbon industry, and how marketers are imparting lessons that shine through 2025 and into the new year.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Marketing Dive: What will be the big takeaways for 2025? Are there any memorable campaigns?
Allison Baron: Our brand continues to grow despite a difficult business environment. We’ve seen significant growth across our brands, with Aperol and Espolòn probably the biggest growth engines for our business.
We did some interesting things on the marketing side. For example, Aperol, which we typically focus on as a summer and spring event, has really done well in the holidays. We launched our Aperol holiday campaign and introduced one of our talented collaborators, (actress) Nina Dobrev, to drive home classic holiday messages with an Aperol twist. We recognize that this brand is much bigger than just a spring and summer brand, and it’s certainly growing significantly.
We’ve launched a new campaign for Wild Turkey called “Don’t Change a Damn Thing.” We believe this campaign resonates with consumers and stays true to our brand identity. This is an homage to master distiller Jimmy Russell and remains consistent in our approach to the brand.
Speaking of Wild Turkey, how is Campari handling the current uncertainty in the bourbon industry?
The categories have been challenged but we are doing very well. Our operations are very strong. We actually just launched a new brand home and we’re trying to bring more people to Kentucky to join us on our Wild Turkey journey. It is a beautiful brand with a long history. We released “Don’t Change a Damn Thing” to instill the idea that we’ve always lived this way. We think that resonates really well with consumers.
How are you addressing other issues in your industry, such as younger consumers drinking less alcohol?
There are a few ways we do this. First, we have the advantage of having many low-alcohol options. Spritz is a low-alcohol product. We believe this has helped our brand grow. We also launched Crodino (2025), a non-alcoholic spritz that has been around in Italy since 1965, but brought it to the United States. We’ll be doing much bigger things in Dry January. Additionally, more deployments are occurring and more people are adopting Crodino. This is very interesting.
Another thing about this event is the idea that the aperitif culture is alive and well – the social aspect of coming together. This does not mean that you drink a lot of drinks with high alcohol content. This actually means being with friends and family after work. The whole idea of having an aperitif in the early evening is a very mild occasion that Aperol goes really well with. We actually think we’re well-positioned to appeal to consumers who want to spend more thoughtfully.
How does Campari’s onsite and events strategy appeal to young consumers?
Aperol is a good example. We’re still with Coachella and seeing like-minded consumers looking for a fun event outdoors. Festival life is in full swing in the United States, and Aperol plays an important role. We created Aperol Piazza and created an aperitif event at the festival. Although it is a festival attended by thousands of people, it creates an experience that cannot be experienced anywhere else. We look for those moments not only at Coachella but at various festivals across the U.S. because we think the consumer is there. Our brand works well in that space.
What lessons have been learned in 2025, and how will Campari carry these forward in 2026?
I think consumers want a different experience from brands that aren’t too popular. We do some really interesting work locally that resonates more emotionally with consumers. I think the lesson we’ve learned is not necessarily what didn’t work, but what works better. It’s about trying to find moments that connect emotionally with consumers in a more meaningful way. I think we are much more intentional.
