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Top 10 spirits marketing campaigns in May 2017

Icelandic vodka brand Reyka makes its TV debut, Jägermeister targets millennials with a new brand identity, and Tanqueray No. Ten takes to the British countryside by train in our latest pick of top marketing campaigns.

Reyka vodka made its TV debut last month

In sports-related marketing, Diageo launched a global campaign for its Captain Morgan rum brand starring retired Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand, while Fever-Tree partnered with Antigua Sailing Week to become its official mixer provider.

Tequila Cazadores launched the first instalment of its Born in Los Altos De Jalisco marketing campaign, which tells the stories of local characters from Arandas, Jalisco; while Rémy Cointreau looked to target “a new generation” of drinkers with its Cointreau liqueur through a £1 million UK marketing campaign.

Meanwhile, Islay Scotch whisky Laphroaig reintroduced its #OpinonsWelcome campaign for a fourth year, asking drinkers to recount their first experience of the heavily peated whisky.

Click through to the following pages for the top 10 marketing campaigns launched in May 2017.

Captain Morgan

Diageo launched a new global campaign for its Captain Morgan rum brand starring retired Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand.

The campaign features a number of established captains – Ferdinand, One-Day International cricket Captain Eoin Morgan and Argentinian polo captain Nacho Figueras.

In the 30-second television spot, the sportsmen are in a bar full of captain characters, including pilots and navy captains, as well as the Captain Morgan pirate character, who suggests that the ‘captain’ title applies to a regular man called Dave who enters the bar.

Initially targeted towards the UK market, the campaign will roll out to further markets later this year and throughout 2018.

Reyka

William Grant & Sons launched the first television advertisement for its Icelandic vodka brand Reyka, which will air in the US.

Launching in Portland, Oregon, the Made in Iceland campaign will be supported by four 15-second television spots.

The advertisements will run through August during primetime broadcast and cable television slots.

Created in partnership with advertising agency Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners, the campaign will feature Reyka’s unofficial spokesperson, Frikki – a “quirky” Icelander, who appeared on the brand’s social channels last year.

The advertisements were created to play off some of the similarities between Portland and Iceland and “emulate the fun and eccentric persona” of the brand.

The campaign will be backed by local Portland media partnerships and sponsorship of large-act live summer concerts in Portland.

Cointreau

Rémy Cointreau is aiming to enhance the footprint of Cointreau liqueur in the UK with the launch of a £1 million marketing campaign.

The campaign will run across digital, social and out-of-home media and will promote the Cointreau Fizz cocktail serve, by showcasing “striking and sunny impactful visuals” and video content, which both feature a simple three-step recipe.

Running until the end of August 2017, the campaign will be led by UM, part of IPG Media group. It will be targeted towards London, with London Underground placements, and other “high impact” sites.

“In a cluttered spirit market, it is essential to reconnect with our current audience as well as interest a new generation,” said Eleonore Moreau, UK marketing director for Cointreau.

Fever-Tree

Premium tonic and mixer brand Fever-Tree partnered with Antigua Sailing Week to become the events official mixer provider.

During the event, held last month, Fever-Tree hosted its pop-up bar on the lawn of the Antigua Yacht Club and at other venues across the island, with special activities and drinks menus planned during daily prize giving ceremonies and at Fever-Tree’s own Race Day.

“We have an intrepid attitude to venturing to the ends of the earth to source the highest quality botanicals for our products and this has many applicable connotations to the sport of sailing, meaning it’s a great platform to share the Fever-Tree event experience,” said international marketing director, Richard Cuthbert.

The sponsorship deal has provided a platform for the drinks company to form a relationship with local distributor Premier Beverages, which has been appointed the importer and distributor of Fever-Tree’s products within Antigua.

Laphroaig

Islay single malt Scotch brand Laphroaig is asking drinkers to recount their first experience of the heavily peated whisky as it reintroduces its #OpinonsWelcome campaign.

The tasting note-focused initiative returns for a fourth year, with fans given the chance to win a personalised artwork of their opinion for 2017.

New and established Laphroaig drinkers alike are invited to share the first time they tried the whisky on the brand’s online ‘Opinions Wall’.

Consumers can design their tasting note opinions using various templates. The brand will then select the best opinions each week to be made into a piece of artwork and sent back to the fans.

The #OpinionsWelcome site will also build a collection of film using footage from the typographers and calligraphers making the artwork.

Tanqueray No. Ten

Tanqueray No. Ten partnered with the Belmond British Pullman to offer a gin and food pairing experience on a luxury train journey through the British countryside.

As part of the brand’s Perfect Ten Series, Tanqueray fans can board the vintage carriages of the Belmond British Pullman, the sister train to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, at the price of £450 per ticket.

Hosted by Gary Franklin, managing director of Belmond Trains and Cruises and Tanqueray No. Ten brand ambassador Tim Homewood, guests can enjoy a menu of seven dishes designed to match the botanicals of the gin, complimented with a matching cocktail.

After dinner the group will enjoy a tailored masterclass experience with Homewood, who will help them create bespoke Martinis with fresh fruits, herbs and spices.

At the same time, global brand ambassador Stephanie Jordan, and Diageo gins historian Joanne McKerchar will educate guests about the history of the brand.

Tequila Cazadores

Bacardi-owned Tequila Cazadores launched the first instalment of its new marketing campaign, called Born in Los Altos De Jalisco.

The video and print mediums tell stories of local characters from Arandas, Jalisco, the birthplace of Tequila Cazadores.

The first video in the series – which launched on Cinco de Mayo – features Manny Hinojosa, Cazadores brand ambassador, describing the “true meaning” behind Cinco de Mayo.

A total of 40 documentary-style videos will be released throughout the summer featuring eight characters and the part they play in their community.

“At Cazadores we are exceptionally proud of our roots, which began, and continue to this day, in Arandas, Mexico,” said Lisa Pfenning, vice president, brand managing director, Tequila Portfolio for Bacardi in the US.

Jägermeister

Jägermeister revealed a new brand identity and campaign inspired by the “notion of perfection”, marking the first major rebrand in its 80-year history.

The repositioning draws on Jägermeister’s heritage, using its “spirited irreverence and product perfection” to target millennials.

With a bold and dark new look, the new campaign kicks off with a national television advertisement that draws from the drinkers of the underground bars and clubs of Berlin.

The spot takes viewers on a journey into a whimsical German nightclub where the crowd is led in a toast by the ‘Meister of Cold’, played by German supermodel Nadja Auermann.

Jägermeister’s new positioning will continue to roll out across the US in print, out-of-home and digital, as well as through in-store and on-premise bar activations.

Old Forester

Brown-Forman is set to unveil a special edition Bourbon for its Old Forester brand, created in partnership with upcoming action spy film Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Old Forester Statesman is described as “buttery leather dominated by a bold flash of pepper, cinnamon bark and sharp citrus” on the palate.

In the sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, an allied spy organisation in Louisville, Kentucky called Statesman uses Bourbon as a front, just as Britain’s Kingsman organisation uses a bespoke tailoring company as a front to hide its true identity.

Bourbon plays a significant role in the film, from the setting of the distillery to each agent in Statesman having a spirits-based codename.

Celebrating the film’s inclusion of Louisville, Kentucky, as home of the Statesman, Louisville’s mayor, Greg Fischer, declared the premiere date of 22 September as Statesman Day in the city.

Cruzan Rum

Beam Suntory unveiled a new marketing campaign for Cruzan Rum in support of the latest addition to its flavoured range, Cruzan Tropical Rum.

The Cruzan Bucket List campaign offers a fun twist on the traditional concept of the bucket list, emphasising the “simple pleasures that make a summer memorable”.

The campaign will launch through on- and off-premise activations as well as social media and digital, including a dedicated site, where rum fans can create their own personalised bucket lists.

Coinciding with the launch of the new campaign, Cruzan Tropical Fruit Rum is described as “juicy pineapple, tart passionfruit, and sweet guava accented with bright notes of fresh citrus”.

Cruzan Tropical Fruit Rum is available across the US with a suggested RRP of US$10.99 per 750ml bottle.

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