When it comes to drinks advertising, timing is everything. Seasonal moments like summer and the run up to Christmas create unmissable spikes in demand across alcohol, low/no alcohol, and soft drink categories. Out of Home (OOH) is a must have channel for drinks brands, especially when powered by our nationwide premium digital screen network.
Here’s why summer and winter are the key moments for drinks advertising and why OOH should be at the heart of your strategy.
Summer: a season made for sipping and socialising
Alcohol consumption peaks in summer
According to our Ocean Pulse survey, 67% of people drink more alcohol in summer than at any other time of year1. Warm weather, outdoor socialising and major sporting events drive this trend, with beer emerging as the crowd favourite1. During Euro 2024 alone, beer sales jumped 13% on match days2.
With iconic summer tournaments like Wimbledon, UEFA Women’s Euros, and The Hundred, there’s a natural alignment between sport, sunshine and drinks. Summer festivals are where RTDs (Ready-to-Drink cocktails) shine, particularly among 18–34s3. 6.2 million canned cocktails were sold at Glastonbury 2024, and with 40% of customers now drinking RTDs in pubs more than last year, this category is primed for growth3.
Low/no alcohol and soft drinks surge
Summer isn’t just about alcohol. Low/no alcohol products are growing rapidly, especially among 18-34s4. On Euro 2024 match days, low alcohol beer sales rose by 38%5, while no-alcohol beer grew 20% in 2024 overall6. OOH plays a key role in raising awareness for these newer entrants, as 67% of people discovered a new brand via OOH last year7.
Soft drink sales also see a seasonal uplift. In summer 2024, heatwaves lifted supermarket soft drink sales by 14.3%8, and water sales increased by 35%9, outpacing carbonates and energy drinks. People also embrace summer themed beverages like iced teas and smoothies.10
Winter: Christmas, indulgence and high-spending shoppers
Festive cheers and premium choices
As the festive season approaches, drinking habits evolve, with a clear shift toward indulgence and premium choices. 64% of UK drinkers intend to consume more alcohol over Christmas than usual, rising to 75% among 18–34 year olds11. Customers shift towards premium choices to either treat themselves or buy alcohol as gifts as 60% purchase premium alcohol at Christmas12. Wine appears to be the most popular choice of beverage on Christmas Day, with 75% saying they will have at least one glass11.
OOH allows brands to tap into this high intent mindset in high footfall areas. From St James Quarter’s footfall increasing by 30% YoY on 21st December 202413, to Liverpool ONE’s 26% footfall uplift between Christmas and New Year14, our prime screen destinations place brands exactly where and when shoppers are spending.
Winter is still a time for non-alcoholic drinking with softs and low/no
Despite the focus on alcohol, the festive season also sees a 46% YoY uplift in low/no alcoholic drinks15 and a 17% rise in soft drink sales16. Tesco saw record demand for low/no alcohol drinks in December 202417, while convenience store data revealed significant festive uplifts in tonic water – driven by popular serves like G&Ts and vodka tonics18 – as well as Coca-Cola sales19, reflecting a strong appetite across several drink categories during the festive period.
OOH and drinks: the perfect mix for reach, relevance and results
1. Key in reaching a younger audience
OOH is the most effective channel for reaching 18–34 year olds20, a key demographic for drinks brands, as they’re the most experimental with their choices and are driving growth across alcoholic, low/no alcohol and soft drink categories.
Advertising is also 38% more likely to influence beer choice for 18–34s21, making OOH a vital channel for visibility and impact among this impressionable audience.
2. Essential for emerging and low/no brands
OOH plays a crucial role in helping emerging brands break through, especially in the growing low and no alcohol category, where customers are often open to trial but need to trust the brand first. 90% of those who consumed no/low drinks in 2023 chose products from brands they already knew22, showing that visibility and familiarity are key to gaining market share. OOH is not only one of the most trusted media channels23, it’s also proven to drive brand discovery and action.
In 2024, a study conducted by Ipsos B&A found that:
- 61% of respondents indicated that OOH ads influenced their purchase decisions
- 67% said that they have discovered new brands through OOH in 202424
These findings highlight how OOH builds the trust and visibility emerging brands need, especially in a competitive and fast evolving drinks market.
3. OOH and social: the perfect pairing for impact
Younger audiences are turning to social media to discover new drinks with 37% of 18–34s using social to find new alcohol brands25, and 28% of millennials have tried drinks recommended by influencers.26
According to our neuroscience research, when DOOH campaigns are shared on social, the results are amplified. A DOOH post shared by an influencer delivers a 35% increase in approach and a 16% rise in emotional intensity compared to a standard brand post. And when a social campaign is primed by premium DOOH beforehand, it performs even better, with a 5% uplift in memory and a 32% increase in dwell time.27
OOH and social are a high performing combination that boosts visibility, drives engagement and leaves a lasting impression on audiences.
4. Navigates regulatory changes
With HFSS restrictions due to ban certain drinks from online advertising and TV advertising after 9pm from 5thJanuary 2026, OOH offers a compliant and high impact alternative. Brands affected by these changes, including some soft drinks and mixers, should be building OOH into their media plans now to maintain visibility post regulation.
For brands leveraging TV as part of their media mix, Ebiquity’s audit reveals that TV ROI increased on average by as much as 35% when supported by OOH28. And OOH generates the biggest boost for TV efficiency (6%) compared to online display, organic search and social media29.
Our screens: where high impact meets high footfall
Our premium DOOH network places drinks brands at the heart of the UK’s premium retail destinations, just as footfall and purchase intent peak across summer and the festive season.
From Westfield London and Stratford to Battersea Power Station and Canary Wharf, our London locations alone offer multiple touchpoints across key shopping, dining and gifting hubs. Nationwide, our screens are placed in destinations like Liverpool ONE, St James Quarter in Edinburgh and Birmingham New Street.
These locations offer significant seasonal spikes, especially in Q3 and December when dwell times and retail spend rise. Our large format screens perfectly complement standard D6 campaigns, together delivering a 26% uplift in engagement and a 20% increase in emotional intensity30. Many of our retail destinations offer both formats, giving brands the opportunity to build layered, high impact campaigns that maximise visibility right at the point of purchase, when shoppers are most receptive.
Creativity that converts
OOH has endless creative opportunities and has evolved into a dynamic, experience led channel offering brands the chance to deliver contextual, interactive and memorable campaigns. With Ocean React, brands can serve real-time, responsive creatives, from weather triggered iced drink ads, live countdowns to happy hour, or on screen celebrations during key sporting moments. It’s contextual relevance at scale, designed to capture attention when it matters most.
And it doesn’t stop at the screen. With experiential activations, from sampling and branded pop-ups to summer of sport fan zones, drinks brands can bring campaigns to life, driving immediate engagement and measurable uplift in sales. Research shows that 91% of customers said they would feel more confident about a brand after participating in an activation or experience31 and over 90% of people said they would be more likely to buy from a brand after an activation or event experience32.
Whether it’s summer sipping or festive toasting, drinks brands can’t afford to miss these seasonal moments. OOH is key to delivering the reach, relevance and impact needed to drive awareness, influence purchase and stay top of mind when people are out and ready to buy.
1 Ocean Pulse drinks survey, May 2025
2 Kantar – Drinks Retailing: UEFA Euro 2024 boosts beer sales, Jul 202
3 MOTH insights, 2025
4 Drinkaware, September 2024
5 YouGov Profiles – Age group: 18-34s, May 2025
6 IWSR – The UK No-Alcohol Market: Key Statistics and Trends, 2025
7 Out \ Look: The Attention Advantage, 2024
8 Reuters, 2024
9 Convenience Store, 2025
10Ocean Pulse drinks survey, May 2025
11Drinkaware: Festive Drink Patterns, Dec 2024
12Ocean Pulse drinks survey, May 2025
13St James Quarter, 2025
14Liverpool ONE, 2025
15The Telegraph, December 2023
16Convenience Store, November 2024
17Industry Intelligence, February 2025
18Convenience Store, November 2023
19The Grocer, February 2024
20IPA Touchpoints, 202
21YouGov Profiles – Age group: 18-34s, May 2025
22Statistica, 2024
23Advertising Association, 2023
24Out \ Look: The Attention Advantage, 2024
25YouGov Profiles, May 2025
26IMPOSSIBREW – Millennials and Non-Alcoholic Beer: Key Trends, 2024
27NeuroInsight/Ocean Outdoor ‘DOOH – The Vital ingredient’, 2023
28Ebiquity ‘Creating a better media world together – performance for today, branding for tomorrow’, 2023
29Mediacom/Wavemaker/Gain Theory – Demand Generation, Nov 2019
30The Attention Dividend research by Lumen and Ocean Outdoor, 2025
31Economic Times, 2022
32The Drum, 2023