Travis Scott's New Brand Partnership Has Nothing To Do With Fast Food
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Travis Scott is a musical recording artist who might be best known for his hit song featuring Drake called "Sicko Mode." Then again, maybe not. People might know Scott best for his line of Nike sneakers, or his immensely successful Fortnite concert earlier this year. Then there was the special promotion Scott did with McDonald's, which offered Scott's favorite meal for a special price in September.
Scott may have gotten his start in hip-hop but has evolved in his business dealings to be much more than a musician. His latest venture, announced December 17, is a partnership with Anheuser-Busch to make a new hard seltzer called Cacti (via PR Newswire). The beverage is made with blue agave and will come in three flavors: lime, strawberry, and pineapple. Cacti will also come with a definite kick for those who usually drink White Claw or Truly, with their 5 percent alcohol by volume. Cacti is up at 7 percent ABV.
Forbes didn't have many details but did break the news of the new Travis Scott beverage in November when the magazine featured Scott in its annual "30 Under 30" list. The Forbes editor who wrote the story got to take a swig of an early version of the strawberry flavor and found it to be crisp and fruity. The rest of us who are 21 or older must wait until spring 2021 when Cacti will land on store shelves.
Cacti joins a crowded but hugely successful hard-seltzer market
As with his other projects, Scott was very hands-on as he and Anheuser-Busch developed their seltzer. "Cacti is something I'm really proud of and have put a ton of work into. Me and the team really went in, not only on getting the flavor right, but on ... everything from the actual beverage, to the can concept, to the packaging and how it is presented to the world," Scott said. The rapper is a fan of tequila, which is why Cacti will stand out from the ranks of hard seltzers with a note of tequila from the blue agave. Cacti will be sold in packs of 12-ounce cans, or in 16- and 25-ounce singles in lime and pineapple.
Anheuser-Busch clearly believes it can't have too much of a good thing. The company already offers at least three other spiked seltzers: Bud Light Seltzer, Bon V!v, and Social Club Seltzer. You might wonder if Anheuser-Busch is worried that Cacti will cut into its other brands' sales. On the contrary, it makes business sense to flood the market with seltzers, at least for now. An analysis by Nielsen shows that sales figures for this sector of the beverage industry quadrupled this year compared to last year, so even brands that lose market share could continue to grow in sales.