Speculative Marketing Plan

Underberg

A strategy for introducing the world's great digestif to New York's restaurant and bar scene.

175 Years · 44 Botanicals · 20ml
01

Overview

Underberg is the platonic ideal of a digestif. Sold exclusively in small 20ml bottles, it is potent and unmistakable.

The ritual aspect of this product: twisting off the paper, taking the shot, keeping the cap, which you can redeem for rewards, combines with its genuine efficacy in terms of digestion. It's extremely popular in Europe, and this is why: it's fun, and it does its job.

In the US and New York specifically, Underberg hasn't caught on despite its potential. This plan outlines a strategy to change that.

02

The Opportunity

There is a class of product that feels like it has always existed, even to people encountering it for the first time. Underberg's aesthetic possesses this quality: you can read its heritage in a split second. It's familiar without being known.

Campari's surge in popularity offers a clear parallel. Before the cocktail revival of the early 2000s, Campari was a cult product. It had some fans, but it wasn't a household name. Aesthetically, it has similar advantages to Underberg: vintage Campari posters were sold in art shops to people who had never bought a bottle. The strong visual identity and legible heritage is one reason Campari exploded once there was access.

Other examples follow the same logic: Carhartt becoming streetwear. Champion becoming fashionable on the strength of its logo alone. Even PBR becoming more than just another cheap beer. The aesthetic did the introduction before the product did.

Underberg is similarly positioned. The gothic font, the brown paper, and the size give it an artifact quality. It is found, not bought, which is an enormous asset in New York, where authenticity and obscurity are valued.

Why New York
03

Strategy

The core strategic principle: position Underberg as a discovered object, not a marketed one. Since its niche hasn't been filled, it should grow organically.

Food & Drink
Restaurant Expansion
Target high end independent restaurants, particularly Italian and pizza focused concepts, where the digestif occasion is natural, and the post meal ritual already exists. Develop outreach to sommeliers and beverage directors. Position Underberg as the house digestif: low cost, memorable. Something a server can offer as a fun nightcap.
Food & Drink
Pizza!
New York is a pizza town, and Underberg is unexpectedly suited in terms of flavor and effect. People love pizza, but they don't love the carb crash. Partner with well-regarded NYC pizza spots for a limited co-promotion. Document the pairing through Instagram and small food and drink publications.
Visuals
Thrift Store T-Shirt Drop
Produce a small run of Underberg-branded T-shirts with the original logo and typography. Donate them anonymously to thrift stores across NYC: LES, Bushwick, Ridgewood, etc. Let them be found. Someone finds it, wears it, gets asked about it.
Visuals
Poster Campaign
Produce a series of posters in the visual language of vintage European product advertising. Wheat-paste or sticker placement in subway stations and on building walls. Posters should be desirable as objects. If they end up on apartment walls, that's success.
Word of Mouth
Targeted Promotion
Identify bartenders, chefs, food writers, and cultural tastemakers who already have credibility. Send product with no ask attached. A note explaining the history and ritual is sufficient. Avoid traditional influencer campaign mechanics. The product's appeal depends on not feeling like a campaign.
Word of Mouth
The Discovery Mechanism
The goal is for people to feel they found Underberg, not that they were sold it.
04

Positioning

This is not a product that needs to be explained. It needs to be encountered in the correct context.

05

Success Metrics

Measured over a 12-month period following initial rollout.

Metric Channel
Substantial increase in NYC restaurant accounts carrying Underberg Trade / On-Premise
Documented organic social mentions and shares Word of Mouth
Press or editorial pickup from food/drinks media in NYC PR / Cultural
Reorder rates at bars and restaurants sustain after initial promotion Trade / On-Premise
Appendix

Media Samples & Notes

The following mockups represent the kind of physical and editorial objects this strategy would produce. The cocktail cards are designed for placement at bar and restaurant accounts: small, typographic, in keeping with Underberg's visual identity. The poster series, and t-shirt are shown as placeholders pending final design and copy. This section is less formal and is meant to show some of the thought behind the overall strategy.

Cocktail Cards

Printed cards for distribution at restaurants and bars. Each recipe uses Underberg as a primary ingredient. The Krauter and Iceberg are established cocktails, while the Nola Cooler and Factory Reset are my own. While I've worked as a bartender, I'm sure a consultation with a real pro would result in a really great drink.

A note: I can also imagine these cocktail cards being implemented into a take away pizza box promotion. You get a kit for your pizza date: a pie, a few little bottles of Underberg, and some instructions.

Underberg
Kräuter Sauer
a digestif cocktail
Underberg Bitters1 bottle
Dolin Blanc Vermouth2.0 oz
Lemon Juice.75 oz
Simple Syrup.75 oz
Shake · Strain · Serve
Underberg
Iceberg
a frozen digestif
Tequila Reposado1 oz
Underberg Bitters1 bottle
Orgeat1 oz
Lemon Juice.75 oz
Crushed Ice1 cup
Blend until smooth. Pour into a coupe.
Garnish with the Underberg bottle.
Blend · Pour · Garnish
Underberg
Nola Cooler
a sparkling digestif
Underberg Bitters2 bottles
Absinthe.25 oz
Cucumber Mint Syrup.25 oz
Club Soda2 oz
Stir and pour over ice in a collins glass.
Stir · Top · Serve
Underberg
Factory Reset
for when nothing else will do
Underberg Bitters4 bottles
Open. Drink. Repeat.
No glass required
Poster Series

I'd like to work with an art director to fully realize the underlying concept behind these posters. They contrast with the brand's current aesthetic: less polished and more optimized for wheat-pasting, I think it's better if they have a guerrilla feel. Conversely, some of Underberg's advertisements from the 60s, 70s, and 80s are beautiful, refined, and would undoubtedly be effective.

Poster 01
Poster 02
T-Shirt Design

A small run of shirts using Underberg's original logo and typography. Donated anonymously to thrift stores across the city: trendy neighborhoods with young to middle aged creative professionals. LES, Crown Heights, Ridgewood, Bushwick, Chinatown, etc.

T-Shirt Mockup
Notes

This section contains informal research conducted while working on this strategy.

nytimes.com · 2007

This article really shows the quaint charm Underberg can provide. I think mirroring its role in the meal, its marketing strategy should be quietly memorable.

archive.nytimes.com/dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/pleasant-punctuation-for-a-meal/

offthepresses.blogspot.com · 2009

Here's another example. Underberg was having a moment in the late 2000s. I think it was just a little too early to catch on. In this post, the writer describes the ritual aspect of the drink.

offthepresses.blogspot.com/2009/09/underberg-enjoyed-by-glass-in-brooklyn.html

hopculture.com

I got the term "berg believer" from this article. It's also more contemporary.

hopculture.com/the-cult-of-underberg/
Underberg Speculative marketing plan · Prepared as a portfolio piece