The New White Claw Surf Product Line Is A First For One Of The Hard Seltzer Industry’s Leaders

Keeping an eye towards the upcoming summer season White Claw today announced the launch of a new product line designed to build upon the successes they have seen over the last several years. White Claw Surf is being rolled out nationwide in a mixed twelve pack format backed by a wide-ranging advertising campaign to introduce the line extension quickly to drinkers. It is the company’s first attempt as a premium line.

As one of the pioneers and leaders in the ever-expanding and ever-popular hard seltzer category, the brand is betting that consumers are looking for products that offer more flavors while still toeing the line at 5% ABV and only 100 calories. The Surf line will be a standalone entity inside their portfolio of brands and follows on the heels of last year’s successful launches of their Iced Tea and Surge lines.

If the Surf lineup does as well as expected, it will give the brand four distinct product lines to continue its dominance in the cold boxes at liquor and grocery stores. It will be the brand’s first-ever premium offering, following a recent spate of higher-end product rollouts. Amass, Jetway, and Spendthrift Spiked are just a few that have seen success. The company is bullish on its potential.

“We’re excited to introduce White Claw Surf, something entirely new and different, a breakthrough innovation in the seltzer category,” said John Shea, Chief Marketing Officer, White Claw, U.S. “As a brand built by engaged fans, White Claw’s amazing growth story is unprecedented. As the nation’s number-one-selling hard seltzer, we’ve had the top innovation in the industry for the last several years and anticipate adding Surf to that list.”

The four flavors included in the product launch (Tropical Pomelo Smash, Watermelon Lime Smash, Wildberry Acai Smash, and Citrus Yuzu Smash) were designed to emulate beverages that consumers would equate with the beach and to blend into a Surf theme. The packaging further hammers home that message with a surfboard logo built into each label and softer pastel colors prevalent.

To bring the new product to the consumers, especially the all-important Millennials, the brand is launching an integrated campaign built around the message “Surf Like No Other.” Utilizing three professional surfers, Blair Conklin, Ivy Miller, and Hunter Jones, they will be rolling out digital, print, and television spots showing the threesome surfing in interesting and diverse locations across the U.S., ranging from snow-covered slopes to sand dunes. Their ‘Surf Tour’ will be shared on both the brands and the individual’s social media platforms. It will culminate at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, where the surfers will appear.

Over the last four years, White Claw has consistently ranked at the top of the sales chart in the hard seltzer category, with each new variety pack they release shooting to the top. The successes from those rollouts often become their own standalone products available in either six or twelve-packs. While there are no plans to release any of the flavors in the new Surf lineup individually, Shea has said that the brand will listen to its consumers and make appropriate decisions accordingly. Hopes are high for the national rollout.

“We think that White Claw Surf will be the number one new product rollout this year in the hard seltzer category, building upon our other successes,” said Shea. “Consumers are looking for something more sessionable and flavorful in their seltzers, and this offers it.”