Marketing executive and business lecturer Melise Panetta breaks down why Gen Z is drinking less alcohol—and what that means for wellness culture, social life, and the future of consumer marketing.
👤 Guest Bio:
Melise Panetta is a seasoned business executive with over 20 years of experience at major firms like PepsiCo and General Mills. She is currently a marketing lecturer at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, with deep expertise in wellness trends, consumer behavior, and brand strategy.
🧭 Topics Discussed:
- Why Gen Z is drinking less alcohol than previous generations
- The impact of social media, wellness culture, and DUIs
- Substitutes for alcohol: marijuana, vaping, microdosing
- The rise of “low and no” alcohol beverages
- Marketing missteps (e.g. Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney) and lessons
- The generational shift in social behavior and its business implications
- The future of alcohol, soda, and wellness branding
- AI in marketing: threat or tool?
- Broader trends in consumer psychology, brand trust, and authenticity
- Shortcuts vs. sustainability in weight loss and lifestyle changes
💡 Main Points:
- Gen Z’s reduced alcohol consumption is tied to wellness values, mental health awareness, and economic constraints.
- The generation’s delayed adultification—living at home longer, dating less, socializing less—shapes consumption habits.
- Brands must adapt by offering “low/no” alcohol options, emphasizing functional benefits, and targeting women and minorities with distinct campaigns.
- Social drinking is being replaced by health rituals, gym culture, and digital interaction, contributing to loneliness.
- AI will reshape marketing by assisting with research and content creation, but human insight remains critical.
📌 Three Best Quotes:
- “This isn’t a fad—it’s rooted in a decades-long wellness trend that’s only gaining momentum.”
- “Gen Z isn’t putting alcohol at the center of their social life anymore. And that changes everything for marketers.”
- “If you don’t drink alcohol because it controls you, and you also can’t drink it because you’re scared of it—then it still controls you.”
🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
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