Book Review: Inside the Bottle by Arthur Shapiro
I was recently sent a copy of Arthur Shapiro’s new book, Inside The Bottle, which is based on his experiences working for Seagram’s in the 1980s and 1990s and is taken from his website boozebusiness.com. It was a great introduction to the spirits marketing business that covered everything from hilarious anecdotes from the old days of Seagram’s to insight into marketing strategies for once-new products. Things we take for granted these days, such as Crown Royal or Captain Morgan, were once brand-new fledgling brands trying to gain a foothold in a tumultuous worldwide market. Shapiro was there to watch both the success of these brands as well as the demise of others (look up Coyote Tequila some time). As a spirits writer I rarely interact with spirits marketers, so I have to admit I don’t know much about what they do. I know there are a lot of complicated laws and regulations to work around that are unique to that industry, but on any given day I don’t give it much thought unless I am briefly interacting with them for a particular purpose.
One of the biggest things I learned from this book is how challenging it can be to market spirits. Typically marketers work hand-in-hand with the sales team, but in spirits marketing this is rarely the case. Spirits marketers have to market directly to consumers, often completely bypassing the sales team. This is largely due to the long-outdated three-tier system put in place after Prohibition. Originally meant to prevent producers from owning retail and by-the-drink operations, which would limit customers to their offerings and drive up prices, today it translates to marketers having to hand-sell products to customers from afar. The legislation was probably necessary at the time but its usefulness has long since passed and is now more of a hindrance to the industry than a necessary consumer protection.
Shapiro covers a multitude of spirits in this book, pointing to market saturations such as flavored vodka as well as market successes like Captain Morgan. He also addresses marketing-based lawsuits, such as the ones with Templeton Rye and Tito’s Vodka and their claims of being “handmade.” Overall, this is a great manual for anyone starting out in spirits marketing. It will tell you all about where marketing has been, what worked and didn’t work and why, and where spirits marketing is heading at the moment, namely stories and authenticity as seen in craft breweries and distilleries.
Inside The Bottle is not a book for general spirits enthusiasts, whiskey geeks, or even bartenders. This is a book specifically designed to speak to spirits marketers, that forgotten segment of the marketing population whose jobs are wholly unique and highly specialized. Think of it as “spirits marketing 101”- it covers history, anecdotes about marketing and marketer blunders, and will serve as a guide to anyone just starting out in the spirits marketing business. As the old adage goes, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Don’t be the next Coyote Tequila.