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Top spirits marketing moves in March 2019

Last month’s top marketing moves included Sipsmith’s Mr Swan campaign to mark its 10th anniversary, Ailsa Bay’s blockchain bottle and Jameson’s push for St Patrick’s Day.

Sipsmith is celebrating 10 years with a new campaign, called Mr Swan

In our latest marketing round-up, we take in Sailor Jerry’s takeover across three Scottish cities, while Wildcat Gin partnered with alternative club brand Sink The Pink.

Fentimans teamed up with UK bars on a campaign that highlights endangered plants and Rooster Rojo Tequila agreed a sponsorship deal with the J2 Racing team.

Over the following pages, we name our top marketing moves launched in March 2019.

Rooster Rojo motors into season

Rooster Rojo Tequila has agreed to sponsor the J2 Racing team for a second season of the VLN Endurance Championship.

The J2 Racing team will operate two Mercedes-­AMG GT3 supercars, both featuring Rooster Rojo Tequila branding.

Mantas Zlatkus, global brand director of Rooster Rojo Tequila, which is owned by Amber Beverage Group, said: “This will be an exciting year for Rooster Rojo, as we will be participating in all nine VLN Endurance Championship races. We will stay awake during the ADAC 24­hour race and will meet our fans and VIPs to share the love we have for a life full of adventures.”

Fentimans plants idea in UK bars

Mixer manufacturer Fentimans has partnered with leading UK bars for its Save the Botanicals campaign, which aims to highlight endangered plants.

The campaign has been launched in preparation for World Earth Day on 22 April and will highlight at­risk species through bespoke cocktail menus.

Teaming up with Plantlife, the wild plant conservation charity, Fentimans has compiled a list of botanicals that are among the rarest in Britain, such as the spreading bellflower, red helleborine and lesser butterfly-­orchid. Fentimans has partnered with leading UK cocktail bars to serve a Save the Botanicals G&T.

You’ve got male: Nemiroff ad push

Nemiroff vodka has launched an extensive marketing campaign as it seeks expansion in CIS, EU and US markets.

The brand’s latest campaign, which features the strapline ‘The Man Makes the Man, We Make His Vodka’, will be supported on-­ and offline, through on­-premise activations and at Ultimate Fighting Championship live events.

Nemiroff has also partnered with director Noah Conopask and creative agency Campbell Ewald to create a film that will debut on several platforms.

Nemiroff chief marketing officer Irina Zhygunova said: “We’re clear in our positioning that our vodka is not for everyone. Instead, it’s for the self­-made man. Confident, persistent and a little bit bad­ass. This individual is in charge of his own destiny. We are inspired by the way he masters his way. And we make his vodka.”

Stop motion animation marks Sipsmith birthday

Sipsmith celebrated its 10­year anniversary last month by creating its first advert – a stop motion animation called Mr Swan.

Created by global advertising and marketing agency Ogilvy UK, the video details the production process behind Sipsmith London Dry Gin through animated character Mr Swan.

The campaign is set to go live from April and will cover cinema, TVC and social media channels.

Kate Moorcroft, global marketing director, Sipsmith, said: “Stop motion animation felt like the perfect way to tell the Sipsmith story as the skilled craftsmanship behind the creation of the film (with no detail overlooked, however small) resonated with our commitment to handcrafting Sipsmith gin.”

Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall founded Sipsmith in 2009, creating the first small batch gin distillery in London in almost 200 years.

Ailsa Bay personalises bottle

William Grant & Sons has unveiled a new bottle for its Ailsa Bay Scotch brand that features blockchain technology, allowing shoppers to digitally track the whisky’s production journey.

Ailsa Bay partnered with specialist blockchain technology company Arc­Net to create the bottles, which allow customers to uncover data such as cask types, filling dates and bottling dates.

Consumers can trace the origins of their whisky via a web experience, which is individually tailored to each bottle. By scanning a QR code, users are presented with a visual history of their whisky.

Dominic Parfitt, head of e­-commerce at William Grant & Sons, said: “Innovation is a key part of our business. We’re constantly looking to evolve our offering and learn new things in order to push the boundaries within the drinks industry.”

Wildcat Gin enjoys sinking feeling

Whyte & Mackay-owned Wildcat Gin has been named official drinks sponsor of alternative club brand Sink The Pink.

Wildcat Gin will be the exclusive gin pour at four out of the five dates on the Sink the Pink UK tour, which stops off in London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.

As part of the sponsorship Wildcat Gin will be encouraging partygoers to ‘Seize the Night’ by activating two experiential installations at each event – a glitzy throne and a perception-­bending neon and mirror room.

Rod Gillies, head of innovation at Whyte & Mackay, said: “As a brand in its relative infancy, we’re thrilled Wildcat has secured this partnership with renowned club brand Sink The Pink.

“We wanted to take Wildcat Gin’s ‘Seize the Night’ message directly to our target consumers – those who come to life after dark.”

La Martiniquaise’s web feat

French spirits producer La Martiniquaise has unveiled its new corporate website that presents the company’s activity across the wine and spirits industry.

The new website offers the opportunity to discover more about the work of La Martiniquaise across whisky, rum, Port and wine, and traditional French spirits.

Visitors to the website will also have the chance to uncover the latest news from the French distiller, and will be able to find out more about the brand’s approach to both its environmental and social impact.

Jameson marks St Patrick’s Day with prize that offers cold comfort

To celebrate St Patrick’s Day (17 March), Jameson Irish whiskey gave a group of friends a trip of a lifetime with an expedition to Norway.

The group travelled to the most northerly inhabited area on the globe, Svalbard in Norway, which was marked by the coordinates 17° longitude 80° latitude – a tribute to 1780, the year John Jameson set up his distillery in Dublin, Ireland.

Once they reached their destination, the group raised a glass of the Pernod Ricard-owned whiskey and toasted St Patrick’s Day.

The friends, from Ireland, India and Argentina, trekked over frozen terrain and took part in snowmobile races, husky rides and ice-­cave climbing.

Sailor Jerry: Scot free

William Grant & Sons-owned Sailor Jerry offered free pizza and haircuts as part of its Scottish City Takeover series in Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow last month.

The spiced rum brand hosted a month of events, gigs, pop-­ups and competitions throughout March in the three Scottish cities to honour “bold local talent”.

Sailor Jerry partnered with restaurants, barbers and tattoo shops to offer fans complimentary pizza, free haircuts, tattoos and other exclusive discounts.

Throughout March, ‘flash art’ inspired by the designs of tattoo artist Norman Collins also appeared in the three cities, and those who visited the sites were given the chance to win tickets to an exclusive party at a secret castle later in the year.

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