Your Marketing Still Talks to Appetites That Don't Exist
Most brands are still shouting at appetites that aren't there. Selling indulgence to a generation that's already stepping away from the bar and pushing their plates back.
This isn't a minor shift. It's a consumer-level reprogramming.
Sobriety is getting sharper. GLP-1 meds like Ozempic and Wegovy are rewriting how people experience hunger. And most brands? They're still writing ad copy like it's 2014.
What Most Brands Get Wrong
They treat this like a niche.
They think sober-curious means one sad mocktail. That GLP-1 users are a blip, not a business shift. They assume less appetite equals less spending.
Wrong. These consumers aren't disengaging. They're demanding something better.
They want flavor without overload. Connection without excess. Real options, not substitutes. And they're still spending—just differently.
This isn't about accommodating dietary quirks. It's about realizing your core offer might be based on behaviors that no longer exist. If you want to understand how your audience actually behaves when you're not watching, you need to look beyond assumptions and dig into real behavior patterns.
The Landscape You're Missing
By 2024, over 3.7 million Americans were on GLP-1 medications. That's not fringe. It's scale. And it's reshaping the very idea of appetite.
Meanwhile, 44% of millennials say they're drinking less. Not because they're boring. Because they're thinking. Mindful sobriety is rising fast, and it's not waiting for your brand to catch up.
If you're still selling volume, indulgence, or buzz as your main value proposition—you're losing relevance fast.
This Isn't Just Hospitality
Restaurants were first to feel the hit. But the ripple is everywhere.
- Retail: Shoppers are scanning labels with intention, not impulse.
- Alcohol: Premium spirits with no buzz are outselling your loudest IPAs.
- CPG: Portion size, sugar content, and satiety matter more than packaging gimmicks.
- Events: Social doesn't mean sloshed anymore. It means engaged.
The shift isn't away from consumption. It's toward control.
So What Do You Actually Do?
- Stop marketing to excess. Language like "decadent" and "unlimited" doesn't land anymore. Try "thoughtfully portioned" or "intensely crafted."
- Rebuild your value around experience, not volume. Customers will pay more for less—if what they get is intentional.
- Train your staff, not just your menus. Hospitality fails when a guest orders something mindful and gets judged for it.
- Design for choice without commentary. Make low-ABV, non-alcoholic, and half-portions normal. Not side notes.
- Speak to identity, not compromise. These customers aren't denying themselves. They're defining themselves.
What Adaptation Looks Like
- A brewery offering a 4oz pour menu and a flavor-forward NA series without explaining itself.
- A hotel replacing its breakfast buffet with a guided local hike and cold-pressed juice.
- A snack brand shifting copy from "indulgent cheat day" to "satisfying without slowing you down."
- A grocery chain highlighting GLP-1-friendly portions and satiety-focused foods with smart shelf tags.
None of these shout. None of these apologize. They just show they're paying attention.
This Isn't a Trend. It's a Recalibration.
The next five years won't belong to the loudest brands. They'll belong to the ones that notice the appetite is quieter, sharper, and far more selective.
Most brands will keep marketing to a consumer that doesn't exist anymore. You don't have to be one of them.
Step back. Rethink the offer. Speak to the behavior that's already here.
That's not just relevance. That's survival.