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Top spirits marketing campaigns in December 2017

Last month in spirits marketing: Jim Beam launched the ‘world’s first’ smart decanter; Pernod Ricard debuted its anti-drink-driving campaign with Uber; and Southern Comfort continued its focus on its New Orleans roots.

Pernod Ricard’s annual anti-drink driving campaign featured in our pick of top marketing campaigns

The end of 2017 saw a number of brands push the anti-drink-driving message including Diageo with its Join the Pact campaign and Pernod Ricard’s partnership with Uber.

Technology also came to the fore with the launch of a ‘smart’ decanter capable of answering questions and serving Bourbon, while Pernod Ricard UK developed a new cocktail­-making skill for Amazon’s voice-activated Show device.

Click through to the following pages to discover our pick of the top 10 spirits marketing campaigns launched in December 2017.

Diageo

Diageo’s Join the Pact campaign has collected almost seven million pledges to never drink and drive. The Join the Pact campaign is fronted by former and current F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Mika Häkkinen, and has exceeded its target to collect 5m pledges a year earlier than expected. Mika Häkkinen said: “I have been working on this campaign from the very beginning, and it’s fantastic to see how we have reached people around the world.”

Diageo launched the campaign in 2008 as part of its efforts to tackle drink­-driving.

Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort has launched a new campaign focusing on its New Orleans roots. The new campaign uses the strapline ‘The Spirit of New Orleans’ to shine a light on the brand’s close links with its home city of New Orleans. Amanda McLeod, Hi­Spirits marketing director, said: “The new Southern Comfort campaign emphasises the brand’s connection with New Orleans, as well as spotlighting the new bottle and label design.”

Sazerac purchased the brand from Brown-­Forman in early 2016 and reintroduced whiskey to the recipe after the Jack Daniel’s owner reportedly phased the spirit out of the drink.

Jim Beam

Jim Beam has launched the ‘world’s first’ smart decanter, capable of answering questions and serving Bourbon. The smart decanter, named Jim, has been “engineered with more than 200 years of Bourbon know-­how”.

Voiced by seventh­-generation master distiller Fred Noe, the decanter­-turned-­virtual­-voice-­assistant provides Bourbon fans with a high­-tech way to enjoy the spirit, which is stored in a sleek compartment in the decanter.

Noe said: “We’re introducing a smart decanter that lets fans enjoy their Bourbon on demand with friends and family.”

Bacardi

Bacardi teamed up with Swizz Beatz and The Dean Collection to launch the No Commission: Miami art and music experience.

The event, at Soho Studios in Wynwood, brought together creatives from around the world to discuss the future of creativity in an intimate panel at the immersive art and music fair.

The event’s theme focused on ‘Island Might’, looking at the strength and vitality of the Caribbean while examining family and the intersection of land and sea.

The invite­-only event saw appearances from stars such as actor Michael B Jordan, Grammy Award-winner Alicia Keys and former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire.

Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard UK has developed a new cocktail­-making skill for Amazon’s Alexa devices.

The voice­-activated skill works with the Amazon Show device, and offers easy-­to-­follow cocktail recipes and serving suggestions, as well as recipes ideal for specific occasions, such as Halloween and Christmas.

Sille Opstrup, head of digital for Pernod Ricard UK, said: “Experimenting with smart technology is just one of the ways we are continuing our mission to shape the nation’s drinking experiences.”

According to Pernod Ricard, 88% of young adults would be more likely to make cocktails at home if the process was easier.

Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon has teamed up with neon artist Lisa Schulte as part of its Frontier Works Neon Project, which aims to champion the reemergence of the art.

Schulte introduced the Bulleit-inspired Neon Collection during Miami Art Week last month, for exclusive sale via Saatchi Art. The limited-edition collection was the first neon art collection ever sold by Saatchi Art and features words and phrases that celebrate the spirit, inside Bulleit Bourbon bottles.

The collection featured neon glass hand-blown by Schulte and crafted into works of art, then inserted into the brand’s frontier-inspired bottle.

Strike Spirits

Strike Spirits has partnered with marketing company Strike Ten Entertainment on a ten-pin bowling-inspired line of spirits bottlings.

The partnership includes the launch of a spirits line this month featuring a dark rum, light rum, vodka, whiskey, Tequila and gin, each packaged in a bottle designed in the shape of a bowling pin.

The Oxford Artisan Distillery

The Oxford Artisan Distillery’s Oxford Rye Vodka has been chosen by the Russian Embassy for a reception to mark the start of the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

The vodka, made from heritage grains, was enjoyed by dignitaries at the event at the Russian embassy in London on 12 December.

The event was attended by 120 senior dignitaries from Russia, the UK, Fifa and the world of sport to celebrate the start of the 2018 Fifa World Cup, which takes place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard UK has launched its annual anti-drink driving campaign in the run up to Christmas, this year partnering with Uber.

The Uber Karaoke campaign encourages revellers not to drink and drive over the festive period by celebrating “one of the best moments of a night out” – the journey home.

Absolut vodka is fronting the digital campaign and has partnered with taxi app Uber to target those most at risk of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Glen’s Vodka

Glen’s Vodka has partnered with music identification app Shazam on a new campaign offering hundreds of prizes to consumers, including a VIP all-expenses-paid holiday to Ibiza, tickets to music festivals, and branded Glen’s Vodka merchandise.

To enter, customers must download the Shazam app to their mobiles or tablets and scan the ‘always-on’ Shazam code that can be found on Glen’s Vodka labels. They will then be taken to a website where they will be able to enter the prize draw.

More than 300 prizes will be up for grabs during the first four months.

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