Alcohol Brands Flock to TikTok as Platform Opens to Liquor Ads in 2024-2025

TikTok Becomes a New Frontier for Alcohol Marketing

Malibu’s “Get Ready With Malibu Pink” campaign this spring marked a turning point for the rum brand—and for its parent company, Pernod Ricard. While the campaign featured influencer partnerships and trending “get ready with me” style videos, its most significant milestone was being Pernod Ricard’s first major initiative designed specifically for TikTok.

Until recently, alcohol brands avoided TikTok entirely. But over the past two years, the platform has transformed into a viable channel for liquor marketing, thanks to stricter age-gating protocols and a rapidly growing adult user base.

Why Alcohol Brands Are Betting Big on TikTok

TikTok’s appeal to alcohol brands lies in its massive, cross-generational reach. According to market researcher eMarketer, the platform generates over $14 billion in U.S. advertising spending annually. Nearly four in ten U.S. adults are active on TikTok, with 80% of users over the age of 21.

Caroline Begley, Pernod Ricard’s vice president of marketing, emphasizes the importance of connecting with “Zillennials”—a microgeneration of younger millennials and older Gen Z consumers. “It’s important for us to connect with Zillennials,” Begley told Fast Company. “Malibu has been around for decades, but it’s always important to introduce new consumers to the brand.”

Major Alcohol Brands Already on TikTok

Malibu is far from alone in its TikTok push. Other brands have launched high-profile campaigns, including:

• Grey Goose vodka’s “Devil Wears Prada 2” content, starring supermodel Heidi Klum.
• Espolòn Tequila’s “Shot Kings Week” celebration, featuring actor and comedian Ken Jeong.
• St-Germain liqueur’s spritz-making session with actress Sophie Turner.
• A behind-the-scenes look at a commercial for the ready-to-drink brand -196, featuring content creator Pooja Tripathi.

[Photos: Bacardi Limited, Campari Group]

How TikTok’s Rules for Alcohol Ads Changed

The shift began in July 2024, when TikTok allowed liquor brands to create their own branded accounts and authorized paid ads targeting users over 25. By July 2025, organic brand pages and content were fully “age gated”, ensuring only legal-age users could view the material. Influencer-related alcohol content followed by early 2026.

TikTok’s improved age-verification tools have played a key role in this transition. “Social media companies have gotten really good at also identifying when somebody is misreporting their age using signal data,” says Courtney J. Armour, chief legal officer of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), in an interview with Fast Company.

Despite the progress, some restrictions remain. Most notably, TikTok Shop does not permit the sale of alcohol.

What’s Next for Alcohol Brands on TikTok?

With TikTok’s user base continuing to grow and age-verification tools becoming more sophisticated, alcohol brands are expected to double down on the platform. The race to capture Gen Z’s attention—who dominate cultural trends—has only just begun.