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Most innovative spirits marketing campaigns in May

A supermodel dressed as a sexy peg-legged buccaneer and a pop star posing as a human lime star in our selection of the most innovative spirits marketing campaigns launched last month.

Justin Timberlake dressed up as a lime for one of the most innovative spirits marketing campaigns in May

Former Sports Illustrated model Chrissy Teigan fronted Captain Morgan’s latest advertisement, while Justin Timberlake dressed up as a bright green lime to promote Sauza 901 Tequila.

Both Malibu and Jägermeister revealed plans to target festival-goers this summer, as Greenall’s Gin unveiled its own branded Land Rover.

Other imaginative advertising efforts have been launched by World Whisky Day, Glenmorangie and Absolut.

Click through the following pages for more details of the top 10 spirits marketing campaigns launched in May 2015.

Greenall’s Gin

Greenall’s London Dry Gin is launching its very own branded Land Rover with a built-in mobile bar, which will travel to various racecourses in the UK this summer.

The Greenall’s Land Rover is being launched to celebrate World Gin Day on 14 June and the brand’s sponsorship agreement with The Jockey Club, which runs 15 of the most famous British racecourses including Aintree, Epsom, Haydock Park and Cheltenham.

As part of the deal, Greenall’s owner Quintessential Brands has pledged to invest around

£3 million over the next three years in activating the partnership through the Good Times with Greenall’s campaign.

It’s anticipated the partnership will provide a platform for Greenall’s to reach approximately two million consumers each year at the 340 racing events organised by The Jockey Club, plus more than 20 million TV viewers across the UK alone.

In addition, Greenall’s has also crafted a bespoke cocktail called Greenall’s Always a Winner, which will be offered to consumers from the mobile bar.

Malibu

Coconut rum liqueur Malibu has launched a new summer campaign that will consist of pop-up beach houses and a beach refresh project. As part of the campaign, the brand will host interactive beach houses at various music festivals, while also working with Heal the Bay along the west coast of the US on a beach clean-up project.

To mark the start of summer and the campaign, Malibu became the exclusive spirits sponsor of Live Nation’s very first National Concert Day in New York. The partnerships represent “the essence of the brand,” a Malibu spokesperson said.

World Whisky Day

As whisky fans around the globe poured a dram on 16 May for World Whisky Day, researchers from the Australian Antarctic Division hosted a whisky tasting session on the “most inhospitable,” and one of the coldest places on earth – Antarctica.

Overall, more than 140 registered events took place in over 38 countries, attended by more than 10,000 guests.

“World Whisky Day just keeps getting bigger and better,” commented Blair Bowman, founder of World Whisky Day.

“To see it grow from a simple idea to something that has spread across all seven continents and is bringing together thousands of people to celebrate whisky is such a thrill,” he said.

Absolut

Absolut has extended its Transform Today campaign with the launch of a short film titled Absolut Nights.

The footage features an unheard song from music duo Empire of the Sun and aims to showcase “real experiences” of Absolut nightlife.

Absolut Nights depicts recordings from some of the brand’s global events held last year in New York, Sao Paolo, Berlin and Johannesburg designed to bring together nightlife and creativity through “one-of-a-kind” collaborations.

Captain Morgan

Supermodel Chrissy Teigen steps into the role of a peg-legged buccaneer in a new advertisement for Diageo’s Captain Morgan’s flavoured rum range.

Teigen, wife of musician John Legend, features as “Paquita Pantalones”, a sword-wielding side kick to the Captain Morgan character in the new US commercial. Titled I Know What You Drank Last Summer, the clip depicts Teigan slicing pineapples with swords and smashing grapefruits to create cocktails for holiday-makers on the beach.

It was filmed to promote the brand’s new flavoured US expressions, Pineapple, Coconut and Grapefruit.

Glenmorangie

Scotch whisky Glenmorangie has partnered with gaming brand World Golf Tour (WGT) to create a bespoke golf simulator experience for fans unable to attend The Open Championship.

Set to launch at London Victoria train station on 9 June, the Glenmorangie and St Andrews golf simulator will be officially opened by brand ambassador and golf star Tony Jacklin and will run until 16 June.

This year marks the fourth consecutive year Glenmorangie has partnered with golf’s Open Championship as the ‘Spirit of The Open’. “Our partnership with The Open continues to go from strength to strength into its fourth year,” said Leanne Banks, marketing director of Glenmorangie UK.

“This year working with WGT we have given whisky and golf lovers the chance to play St Andrews, albeit in a virtual world, meaning that everyone can be there with a glass of Glenmorangie in hand at the hallowed 18th green as the action unfolds.”

Players of the virtual simulator will also have the opportunity to win a selection of prizes, including VIP tickets to the Open Championship in July and a bottle of Glenmorangie Signet.

Langley’s No.8 Gin

Langley’s No.8 has agreed an exclusive gin sponsorship deal with Chestertons Polo in the Park, which took place from 5-7 June.

The event saw the return of the Langley’s Gin & Tonic Bar and is part of the brand’s summer campaign to serve “quintessentially British” G&Ts at some of the UK’s biggest events, including Henley Regatta and Cowes Week.

“We’re now expecting to sell over 10,000 G&Ts over our own bar alone,” said Mark Dawkins, co-founder of Langley’s No.8. “Agreeing exclusive gin partnerships in which Langley’s No.8 is served across bars at prestigious events gives us the opportunity to really raise our consumer profile in the super-premium spirits market.”

Langley’s No.8 served more than 1,700 drinks when its Gin & Tonic Bar featured at the Badminton Horse Trials.

Sauza 901

Justin Timberlake is hardly recognisable in a new three-minute advert for Tequila brand Sauza 901, in which the pop singer stars as a lime named Rick “Sour” Vane.

Launched to coincide with Cinco de Mayo, the short film shows Timberlake’s character reflecting on limes’ biggest achievements throughout the ages, such as curing “pucker face” and scurvy.

He continues to dwell on the past popularity limes have experienced, before blaming the launch of Sauza 901 Tequila for putting limes in drinks out of fashion and creating an era of “No Limes Needed”.

“It was like you couldn’t drink Tequila without one of us,” Timberlake exclaims in the film. “When we walked into the club, it was like everything was in slow motion. Literally. It was like we were rock stars. Oranges? Dead. Maraschinos? Dead.”

el Jimador

Tequila brand el Jimador has partnered with US National and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard on a new campaign aimed at millennial consumers.

The collaboration will include a social media focus, consumer-facing programmes, retail activations and supporting social causes chosen by Howard. El Jimador has a long-standing association with football, having launched several football-themed Tequila bottles since 2011 as well as promoting various in-store sweepstakes.

“My craft in terms of goal-keeping takes hard work and dedication,” said Howard. “I have to be there day in and day out, trying to perfect my craft, the same way that jimadores do.”

Jägermeister

This summer Jägermeister is investing £1 million in its largest ever-festival activation, called the “Unearthed” experience. As part of the activation, the German herbal liqueur brand will launch “The Jägerhaus” at numerous festivals taking place throughout the UK. The Jägerhaus building will be concealed among woodland areas within the festival grounds comprising The Lodge, The Backyard, The Warehouse and VIP section The Loft.

Several bars will also be located throughout the Jägerhaus, which will showcase live music by “recently discovered bands” and feature “interactive elements” such as an Entrance Tunnel where guests can enjoy a “sensory experience”.

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