In December 2021, Blake Lively launched her latest side-hustle, a line of mocktails and mixers called Betty Buzz. The idea behind it was that Blake doesn’t drink, but she still likes to party and she wanted some non-alcoholic “mocktail” choices. Basically, she thought she could find a niche market of wealthy non-drinkers just itching to spend money on juice. Well, it looks like she could not find that niche market, because Betty Buzz is now doing a line of alcoholic “spritzers” and Blake’s fans are not happy about it.
Drinking might not be Blake Lively’s “thing,” but the Betty Buzz founder is expanding her lineup of non-alcoholic mixers to include spiked seltzer too. Only, not everyone is thrilled with the launch. On Thursday, Lively took to Instagram with the news of her latest venture, telling fans, “Drinking isn’t my thing. But for f* sake, flavor is. Homemade recipe. Real fruit. Real ingredients. Quality booze. No crap. Also a real time saver. Which is why I really did it.”
The Simple Favor star has long been an advocate for sober living—despite her own husband Ryan Reynolds’ half a billion dollar gin business. However, Betty Buzz has long been branded as a mixer, be it for non-alcoholic mocktails or Aviation Gin cocktails.
“When it comes to quality, we’re absolutely uncompromising. Whether it’s Buzz or Booze, everything we make is real and delicious,” Co-Founder and Chairman of Betty B Holdings Andrew T. Chrisomalis said in a press release. “The early success of Betty Buzz proved people expect more from what they drink. And we’re going to be the beverage company to serve it to them.”
Fans were quick to call out Lively for her foray into the liquor aisle.
“How can you market/create a product you don’t openly consume yourself? 😂 come the f on now..” one user wrote. Another chimed in, writing, “If drinking really isn’t your thing (which you’re very vocal about) how about some NA options? Otherwise you’re just in it for the money.”
A third Instagrammer said, “What a confusing way to promote your alcohol, by saying drinking isn’t your thing…”
[From Delish]
I just… this whole thing seems so inauthentic to me, but that’s probably because I find Blake to be pretty inauthentic. She’s not a drinker, okay, but she does think that she’s some kind of businesswoman and she was desperate to cash in on some kind of non-alcoholic beverage market. When that market did not embrace her, she then turned to booze… which is probably what she should have been doing the whole time. THAT is the market, which her husband knows. People will spend money to drink a nice cocktail or spritzer, but they won’t spend the money to just drink a fancy juice. Her marketing is a disaster too – this was probably meant as a side-hustle she could just promote herself and base on her own public persona, but obviously… that wasn’t successful. I don’t know, I don’t drink anymore but I was not tempted in any way to try Blake’s fancy juices. Other people were unimpressed as well, which is why she had to change the fundamental strategy. It’s the “Allure of Antebellum” all over again.
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red, Backgrid.
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