Close Menu
SBTV

Smirnoff and Ladbible partner on inclusivity campaign

Smirnoff vodka has teamed up with social publisher Ladbible on a new campaign to “champion greater inclusivity”, called Free To Be.

The Free To Be campaign will place a focus on gender identity and disability

The year-long partnership aims to “promote empathy and discussion” towards minority communities with a focus on the nightlife environment. The campaign will feature social content, with an emphasis on gender identity and disability.

A recent analysis of millennials by Ladbible revealed that 70% were apathetic to online content depicting serious stories, such as those relating to inclusivity, and 30% were confused about how to talk about it.

Free To Be intends to “break down barriers” and encourage young people to have difficult conversations with a more diverse range of people.

The campaign launches with Night Shift, a short documentary showcasing inspirational stories including a female bouncer, transgender bartender and a toilet attendant who works in a gender-neutral toilet.

A special project is also underway, details of which will be released later in the year.

The initiative follows on from the brand’s We’re Open initiative, starring non-binary artists and members of the LGTBQ+ community.

Arian Kalantari, co-founder of Ladbible Group said: “Free To Be is the perfect brand partnership bringing together the inclusive nature of Smirnoff and the power and influence of Ladbible and our approach to creating campaigns for the greater good of society. We can’t wait to see how the positive impact of this ambitious campaign plays out among our community of millions.”

Nicholas Cornbleet, senior brand manager, Smirnoff, said: “Inclusivity is central to Smirnoff as a brand and Free to Be offers an exciting opportunity to promote our belief that good times are better with an inclusive mindset to a broad UK audience.

“We are delighted to be announcing this partnership with Ladbible and look forward to seeing the impact that this unique campaign will have.”

Check out the Night Shift documentary below. 

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No