Drinks brands receive 'cool' stamp of approval

A number of drinks brands have been officially declared "cool" as part of an initiative undertaken by the Brand Council.

Three lagers - Red Stripe, Beck's and Asahi - Bombay Sapphire gin (pictured)​, Möet and Dom Perignon champagnes and Coca-Cola are among 60 consumer brands that have been awarded "Cool Brandleader" status by a panel of judges including clothes designer Ozwald Boateng, Rankin the international photographer and Alexandra Shulman, editor of Vogue.

The aim of the initiative is to celebrate the nation's coolest brands and in doing so gain greater recognition of the discipline of branding and the role that brands play in creating wealth for the UK economy.

Guy Shreeves, marketing manager at Charles Wells, said: "Red Stripe has long been regarded as a cool brand. It is not something we work at, Red Stripe just has it. Other beer brands invest significant budgets into being cool but sadly fail."

It is the second year running that Red Stripe and Asahi have been deemed "cool", but Courvoisier, the premium cognac, is making its debut in the so-called cool club thanks in part to its new-found status as the favoured tipple among US hip-hop stars.

"The Courvoisier brand blends heritage smoothly with a modern contemporary and innovative image," said Stephen Cheliotis, brand liaison director for the Brand Council.

"Without abandoning its roots or tradition, Courvoisier has refreshed the brand to appeal to new markets and has in the process developed a cool status among young urbanities."