How important is provenance for vodka brands?

The current vodka marketing trend is for brands to make a big song and dance about their provenance and heritage, but do consumers actually care? Richard Woodard asks

Vodka marketing is moving away from production methods to focus on communicating provence

About a decade ago, the advertising for Grey Goose vodka was a straightforward affair: straplined “The World’s Best Tasting Vodka”, it drew attention to the brand’s top ranking in a 1996 taste-off by the Beverage Tasting Institute of Chicago. It even included a list of 30-odd brands, featuring their marks out of 100, with Grey Goose sitting proudly at the top.

In 2014, that bold assertion of quality looks increasingly dated – after all, the proliferation of awards means that most brands of any consequence can point to a gold medal here or a 90-plus score there. In line with the consumers who are its target, vodka marketing has become ever more sophisticated.

And about time, says Claire Smith, head of spirit creation at Moët Hennessy-owned Belvedere. “Vodka today is globally distilled and variously defined, perceived as neutral and lacking character,” she argues. “This perception has been driven in no small part by the proliferation of aggressively distilled, neutral grain spirits that were introduced into the US in the 20th century. Provenance is one way to describe why our vodka tastes the way it does.”

Defying perceptions

Late last year, Grey Goose unveiled a new global advertising platform, Fly Beyond, focused on the (somewhat romanticised) story of the vodka’s creation, plus its ingredients and production. With a sumptuous cinema ad directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, there’s lots of talk of the artisanal use of Gensac spring water and Picardy winter wheat; brand owner Bacardi even opened artisan bakeries making “Grey Goose pain” in London and New York.

So is this the new face of vodka marketing, swapping messages of purity and multiple filtration for allusions to heritage and provenance? More importantly, do consumers care?

Oleg Yegorov of Russian Standard would respond with an emphatic “yes” to this last question, arguing that the impetus for this change has come from the consumers themselves. “More than ever before, consumers are taking their consumption and brand purchase cues from friends or other non-advertising sources,” he argues. “Social media is playing a huge role in determining what people buy. Consumers are researching their brands and, relying on the internet, they can determine pretty quickly through other consumers’ brand experiences what is real and what is not.

Polish vodka brand Zubrowka focuses on communicating its 600-year-old recipeMessage of heritage

Messages of heritage

So, if you’re Russian Standard, you talk about glacial water from Lake Ladoga, winter wheat from the southern Steppes; with Zubrowka, it’s your 600-year-old recipe and the collection, drying and preparation of the bison grass. You make this information readily available via websites and social media – and, so the theory goes, you command more brand loyalty in an increasingly fickle world.

“This individual consumer research eventually influences how they spend their money,” Yegorov says. “They want brands and products that are worth something.”

With Stolichnaya, the emphasis is on the production process: winter wheat and rye from Tambov converted into Russian “Alpha”-quality spirit, then blended with Latvian spring water before bottling. “Provenance and heritage might not be the main drivers of choice for vodka, but they are reassuring factors that build brand credibility,” says SPI chief marketing officer Marco Ferrari. “Millennials care about ‘real’ brands.”

Meanwhile, Absolut highlights its “One Source” concept, drawing attention to its use of winter wheat from southern Sweden and single-site production in Åhus and, the company says, “deeply integrating” it into its marketing. The concept is embodied by Absolut Elyx, a single-estate vodka made from wheat harvested and distilled within a 15-mile radius.

Geographical origins

The list goes on – Patrón’s Ultimat plays up its triple-grain production and Polish heritage, while William Grant’s Reyka promotes its “glacial” origins in Iceland. But whether consumers will really find truth through marketing is open to debate. Clearly, Bacardi is unlikely to draw attention to the fact that Grey Goose, for instance, was a German wine before US marketing whizz Sidney Frank appropriated it for his new luxury vodka from Cognac.

Notions of “Russianness” are similarly subject to interpretation. It’s a vital part of the marketing message for brands such as Tovaritch! and Legend of Kremlin. But, Ekaterina Egorova, export director for the latter, observes: “I noticed that people often confuse Russian name with Russian origin.

“Basically, Russian origin is considered to be very good, so any Russian-sounding name gives a consumer a false vision of Russian origin (and quality as a consequence), while most of the vodkas with ‘Russian-sounding’ names are actually produced abroad, such as Smirnoff, for example.”

Grey Goose’s most recent marketing effort aims to convey its French roots

Enhances brand credibility

But the credibility conveyed by provenance and heritage can take many forms. “In North America, the role of provenance has diminished over the years,” says Carmen D’Ascendis, global MD of vodka at Finlandia owner Brown-Forman.

“Consumers are looking for more. Look to the liquor store shelf for proof: there are top-selling vodka brands from countries with no vodka-making traditions, and vodka brands produced under licence in dozens of countries.”

Good news for Grey Goose – for all its distilling heritage, France is hardly a historic vodka hotspot – and for others. Peter Fairbrother, global white spirits portfolio director at Diageo, has noticed increased interest in the origins of Ketel One and the Nolet family history, which the company aims to exploit through social media and one-to-one conversations with bartenders.

And it’s even had an influence in the flavours segment, according to Maura McGinn, VP of global strategic marketing of spirits at Campari, owner of Skyy Infusions. “Our research showed today’s consumers were much more interested in flavours coming from the likes of Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and local farmers’ markets,” she reports, adding that the brand has continued to use fresh fruits and spices for its flavours – contrasting their success with the “nosedive” in sales experienced by vodkas with artificial flavour additives.

Important considerations

The general conclusion is that considerations of origin, heritage and production/ingredients are increasingly important – but up to a point. Egorova sends notes on production and tasting to bartenders and independent retailers, but believes only professionals and “high-end consumers” will really be interested.

“For some consumers, provenance and raw ingredients may be less important than, say, price or packaging,” says Greg Cohen of Ultimat owner Patrón. “But more than ever before, there seems to be a profound interest, from consumers and trade alike, in learning more about the spirits they drink.”

And Belvedere’s Smith concludes: “Provenance only plays a role in the vodka category if it communicates heritage and expertise… However, provenance alone does not guarantee the creation of an exceptional vodka, it only gives you a head start.”