The power of Visual Appeal in alcohol branding

While a great alcoholic beverage may boast top-notch quality and craftsmanship, there are many other elements that are invested in making each product attractive to the consumer. These include the bottle shape, the bold colours, the sleek label, and the overall aesthetic that make a product irresistible on a crowded shelf. A drink isn’t just something you sip; it’s an experience, and packaging is the first taste consumers get. As Sanaya Dahanukar, Marketing Manager at Tilaknagar Industries Ltd., puts it, the role of allied partners in the industry is game-changing. From packaging to logistics, their creativity turns ordinary bottles into iconic brands.

It’s not just about producing alcohol and selling it. There is much more to the industry than this process, involving a wide network of allied partners across multiple functions— be it design, packaging, logistics, and more—who play a significant role in the entire value chain. As Sanaya succinctly puts it, “We cannot overstate the importance of our allied partners in the making of a successful brand.” In today’s competitive alcoholic beverage landscape, consumers often experience a product first with their eyes. Packaging forms their initial interaction and sets the tone for the entire brand experience.

From design and bottle manufacturing to label printing and finishing, each allied partner contributes a vital layer of craftsmanship and creativity. Their ability to think beyond the conventional and bring bold ideas to life directly influences how a brand is perceived.

“Monarch, a pure grape brandy, is a prime example. Everything from the distinctive bottle design to the detailed packaging helped define a new space for Indian luxury brandy, a category that hadn’t really existed before. The look and feel elevated the product to be on par with the best cognacs globally; a transformation made possible through the inputs and expertise of the company’s partners,” she shares.

Strategic Brand Packaging

Packaging plays a pivotal role in shaping brand perception, and at Tilaknagar Industries, the process is both strategic and creative. It begins with a comprehensive brand brief that clarifies the brand’s positioning, unique selling propositions (USPs), and the emotional and functional cues it aims to evoke. This brief is shared with the company’s preferred design partners and goes through several rounds of refinement before arriving at the final design.

Once the concept is defined, the team proceeds to design sampling, experimenting with various substrates, finishes, and materials to identify what delivers the strongest shelf appeal while also considering cost implications for the targeted market segment. Once the final option is selected, it enters the brand registration process and is prepared for launch. “For Monarch, we felt the association of luxury with Indian brandy was largely missing. So, we spent time identifying the core idea that could bring this to life in a way that felt both aspirational and authentic. That idea was royalty,” explains Sanaya.

This concept gave the company a creative anchor to evolve the Mansion House tagline, “A Warm Welcome,” into “A Royal Welcome” for Monarch. That, in turn, set the tone for every element—the packaging design, the finish, the tactile experience, and the storytelling— embedded in each component of the brand. While the company prefers working with Indian vendors, it explores international collaborations for certain premium materials. For instance, decorated natural corks used in luxury packaging are often sourced globally, as these finishes are still challenging to replicate locally. “That said, we are seeing Indian suppliers closing that gap year on year, and their ability to co-innovate with us has been encouraging,” Sanaya adds.

Shaping Stories

Packaging today is more than just a container; it tells a story and builds an emotional connection with the consumer. How does a company craft this narrative through design, especially for premium offerings or new expressions? As Sanaya explains, storytelling through packaging is an integral part of how the company builds brand worlds, especially for premium products.

“Our approach varies by brand, but the objective is always to create an experience that communicates the soul of the product before a single sip is taken,” she says. For example, with its flavoured brandy Flandy, the packaging is driven by the flavour story. It’s vibrant, playful, and expressive, clearly signalling what the consumer can expect. In contrast, Monarch, positioned as the emperor of Indian brandies, embraces the aesthetic of Indian royalty. Every element of the packaging—from the regal elephants flanking the emblem, to the classical illustration of grapes, to the luxurious unboxing experience—is crafted to make the consumer feel they are receiving a royal welcome. 

From the name and the cognacstyle bottle to the intricately detailed gift box featuring two fictional kings, every detail reinforces the brand narrative. “We are very intentional about embedding visual cues, textures, and cultural elements into the packaging to make it not just a product but a storytelling device that resonates with the consumer,” Sanaya points out. Ultimately, it is about making the right emotional connection or setting a desired mood. Consumers are often drawn to brands with strong visual aesthetics, and such packaging can even become collectors’ memorabilia.

Design Sells First

Packaging plays an undeniably critical role in influencing consumer purchase decisions, particularly in today’s saturated alcoholic beverage market, where shelves are overflowing with new launches. Before consumers taste what’s inside the bottle, it is the visual and tactile cues of the packaging that create the first impression. It signals quality, sets expectations, and conveys the brand’s personality. Is the design aspirational? Do the colours feel bold, balanced, or boring? Does the packaging reflect who the consumer is, or who they aspire to be? 

“We have seen how breakthrough packaging can completely shift consumer preferences, even pulling loyalists away from long-standing favourites when they feel a new brand speaks more directly to them,” Sanaya notes. Take Mansion House Whisky, for example. Launched in markets such as Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Puducherry, it features a uniquely premium bottle structure with a sophisticated white-and-gold label and striking blue branding. The youth-oriented hipster pack format has added further appeal. In one of the highly competitive semi-premium whisky segment, the design has been instrumental in drawing attention, encouraging trials, and driving uptake.

Emotional Appeal

Designing a bottle or a label involves far more than creativity alone. There is always a lot of thinking that goes behind it and a major portion of that is the way in which a bottle of alcohol will have an emotional tug on the buyer. For instance, a consumer who perceives drinking as a ‘royal’ act may be drawn to packaging with regal elements, while someone who views drinking as fun may prefer a colourful and playful design.

Sanaya observes that it is this emotional interplay that must find expression through a product’s packaging.

Green Commitment

Increasingly, brands across the spectrum are taking conscious steps to reduce their environmental impact. This includes limiting the use of plastic in packaging, removing mono cartons in mass brands like Mansion House Brandy, cutting down on paper waste, incorporating recycled glass, and using biodegradable labels on select products.

“There is a growing awareness among consumers, especially in the super-premium and luxury segments, who are increasingly mindful of waste and are gravitating towards brands that mirror their values,” Sanaya elaborates.

Allied partners are also stepping up in this space. From biodegradable PET to recycled plastic labels, suppliers are offering innovative, sustainable packaging solutions that maintain both premium appeal and functionality. Their ability to provide environmentally conscious options has been essential in helping brands move in the right direction without compromising the overall brand experience.