Is the ‘NoLo’ movement a fad?

Written by
Fifty Team

Insights by
Josh Tompkins

12 Feb, 2021

While overall alcohol consumption is expected to have declined in 2020, the low- and no-alcohol market continues to grow, with consumption expected to increase 31% by 2024, according to the IWSR. But is ‘NoLo’ simply a trend that will fade away, or a movement that is here to stay? Who is behind its popularity and what is it being motivated by? Putting a slew of NoLo brands and websites through our Fifty AI engine, we discovered the audiences most interested in No-Lo. 

Network visualisation of the audience behind the growing NoLo movement as seen on the Fifty platform.
NoLo audience

YOUNG URBANITES LOVE NO-LO

The youth are definitively driving the NoLo movement. Savvy British Youngsters were the largest tribe within the study, making up 26% of the audience. Key influencers for them include comedians such as Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall as well as tech publications like Mashable.

And across several tribes, we saw a coalescence around cities emerge in terms of where people are based. London, Manchester, Edinburgh were all well represented in a number of tribes with no hint of the countryside anywhere.

FITNESS OVER FOOD

Health is often pointed to as a strong motivator for the rise of NoLo. Interestingly, the two tribes that reflect this attitude within the study are focused on fitness rather than diet – top influencers for them include Runner’s World magazine and ParkRun. Throughout the study, there were no tribes that emerged revolving around healthy eating or organic food.

STUDENTS WANT BOTH

We compared the NoLo audience with an audience built up of popular alcohol brands to find any discernible differences. Key here is the prevalence of students within both audiences – it’s not that all young people have stopped drinking, but perhaps NoLo offers an acceptable alternative for social settings.

STRATEGIC TAKEAWAYS

Currently, the NoLo movement is being driven by a younger audience, who live in cities. Look for tie-ins with their other interests such as popular comedy and tech publications to create efficient marketing strategies.

Health may be a motivator but those interested in physical fitness are more engaged with NoLo. When using health as a marketing strategy, consider NoLo’s benefits to fitness rather than a diet-based message to speak to them.

Many people who are partaking in the NoLo movement haven’t necessarily given up alcohol. Brands can push the longevity of the trend by presenting it as an occasional alternative for going out without asking people to make huge lifestyle changes.

Catch up on the latest trends and insights here.

To find out how Fifty can delve deep into an audience, book a demo.


Silverstone Appoints Fifty As New Media And Audience Intelligence Partner To Drive Year-Round Growth Beyond The British Grand Prix

Strategic partnership will see iconic motorsport venue use AI-powered insights and media solutions to build always-on demand across its growing portfolio of experiences.

Related Articles

Silverstone Appoints Fifty As New Media And Audience Intelligence Partner To Drive Year-Round Growth Beyond The British Grand Prix

Strategic partnership will see iconic motorsport venue use AI-powered insights and media solutions to build always-on demand across its growing portfolio of experiences.

What The Celebrity Traitors Can Teach Brands About Connecting Talent, Audiences And Media

A deep dive into what The Celebrity Traitors teaches marketers about choosing the right talent and connecting with audiences using data. 

Formulate XP Announces Five Driving Partners

Formulate XP announces its five Driving Partners: Diagonal Communications, Sylver Entertainment, Fifty, Collaborate Global and Quokka Group.

The Best Fashion Moment Might Not Be on the Retail Calendar

In part three of Fifty’s Retail Fashion Playbook, we mapped nine fashion audience Tribes against against the moments that matter throughout the year, from traditional retail peaks to festivals, sport, travel and cultural occasions.

Bentley Motors Deploys Fifty's Platform To Support Global Audience Strategy

Luxury auto brand adopts AI-powered audience intelligence solution to build a deeper understanding of car culture, adjacent cultural communities and audiences across global markets

Sol De Janeiro Lifts UK Brand Awareness By 11% With Audience-Led Media

How Fifty used audience intelligence, multi-platform media and publisher partnerships to build awareness and consideration for Sol de Janeiro’s Delícia Drench range.