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Top 10
Top 10 marketing moves from July 2024
From ice cream to Spritz campaigns, spirits brands sought to make the most of the Northern Hemisphere’s warm weather in July’s round of marketing moves.
Many brands targeted the UK with Lewis Hamilton’s Almave and Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Gin & Juice entering the region, while El Rayo and Everleaf both used London as the backdrop for their latest marketing campaigns.
Celebrities were again at the forefront with the likes of Idris Elba and Sophie Turner putting their names and faces to campaigns for well-known brands. Meanwhile, one of the world’s biggest-selling vodkas joined forces with a festival to tackle mental health.
For the full lineup of marketing moves that caught our eye last month, scroll down.
And for more marketing roundups, see our lists from May and June.
Idris Elba mixes for Grey Goose
Vodka brand Grey Goose collaborated with actor and DJ Idris Elba to celebrate the recent launch of its Altius expression.
Released in April, Altius is an ultra-premium vodka filtered at subfreezing temperatures. To support its launch, Elba released a new song for the summer, Pushing On, as well as a 45 second short film in which he explains his creative process in putting the track together and the inspiration behind it. In the clip, Elba said: “Vibrations, rhythm, music, melody… all of these things are an emotion for me.”
Elba also DJed at the Altius launch party in Ibiza, and his new track will be heard at Altius parties in Europe for the rest of the summer.
Martini adds Tabasco
Bacardi-owned vermouth brand Martini launched a marketing campaign that focuses on Sicily, fronted by actor Simona Tabasco.
The campaign shows the Italian island through Tabasco’s eyes, and tours Sicilian hotspots such as BamBar and La Plage. Sicily is also where the second season of the TV show The White Lotus was filmed, which Tabasco starred in.
She said: “Sicily holds a special place in my heart. It’s a magical place to be in the summertime. I have had so many fun times sharing aperitivo with friends on the stunning terrace at Morgana Bar, or soaking up the energy at BamBar, my favourite spot for a refreshing granita and alfresco Martini Spritzato.”
As part of the campaign, Martini worked with mixologist Maura Milia to create a bespoke cocktail named the Simona Spritz. The drink combines Martini Bianco, Prosecco, soda and chillies.
Sir Edmond Gin goes globetrotting
Dutch brand Sir Edmond Gin continued its international expansion and is now available in Taiwan and in Aruba, the island in the south of the Caribbean Sea.
In Aruba, the vanilla-infused gin can be found at Hilton Hotel, Renaissance Hotel, and all Divi Hotels, as well as restaurants Madame Janette, Azia, Kalibra Bar, and WinePort at the airport. It is available on the island via local distributor Boma Wines Aruba.
In Taiwan, Sir Edmond Gin is available at select bars and restaurants nationwide. The brand said that Taiwan is a ‘dynamic market’ with an ‘ever-evolving cocktail culture’.
Everleaf launches ad campaign in the heart of London
Non-alcoholic apéritif brand Everleaf launched an out-of-home campaign in Soho, London, in July.
Visuals seen in the area’s key sites and the city’s underground stations were posters of the Everleaf Spritz and ads that had the slogans: “Doesn’t pretend to taste like alcohol. (Doesn’t need to.)” and “Or you could just have a lime and soda?”.
Founder Paul Mathew said: “Our long-standing ambition is to make Everleaf synonymous with great tasting non-alcoholic cocktails – in launching our latest campaign, we hope to not only support our on-trade partners, but also help consumers make confident and informed choices when it comes to non-alcoholic drinks.”
Blanco has formula for UK success
Blanco, the second expression from alcohol-free ‘spirit’ brand Almave, is now available in the UK through distributor Mangrove Global.
Almave was co-founded by Mexican spirits producer Casa Lumbre and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. Its first expression, Ámbar, arrived in the UK in March. Almave Blanco is recommended in mocktails, while Ámbar is suited for sipping neat. It is distilled from agave in Jalisco, Mexico, with the fermentation process skipped to make it alcohol-free.
On launching Blanco in the UK, Hamilton said: “It joins Almave Ámbar in standing apart from anything else on the market as a quality, alcohol-free alternative with no compromise on flavour, authenticity or process.”
It can be purchased for RRP £24 (US$31).
Absolut tackles mental wellbeing at Tomorrowland
Absolut Vodka addressed the subjects of loneliness and mental health as part of its ongoing partnership with electronic music festival Tomorrowland.
The festival took place over two weekends in Boom, Belgium, between 19 and 21 and 26 and 28 July. To support the cause – which is also part of the festival’s United We Dance campaign – Absolut set up various onsite and online activities, including a community booth in the festival’s camping area where people could connect, a live podcast with performing artists that addressed the topics, and daily ‘speed networking events’.
Sophie Turner finds her match in St-Germain
Actor Sophie Turner is the face of St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur’s Spritz-focused summer campaign. Turner is perhaps best known for roles in the TV series Game of Thrones as Sansa Stark, and in the X-Men film franchise as Jean Grey.
In St-Germain’s campaign – titled ‘Sip into something fresher’ – she is seen searching for her ‘perfect match’ in the south of France, which turns out to be the brand’s signature cocktail, the St-Germain Hugo Spritz.
Turner said: “I am thrilled to collaborate with the St-Germain team to help inspire people to Spritz up their summer. St-Germain Hugo Spritz is certainly my go-to cocktail this season.”
El Rayo shows community spirit
Tequila brand El Rayo debuted its first out-of-home campaign, in Peckham, southeast London.
The brand was launched in Peckham – also the home of the brand’s founders – and hopes to ‘capture the spirit’ of the neighbourhood. It presents the idea that Tequila can be enjoyed as the first drink of the night, rather than the last. The campaign will be ‘strategically placed’, both digitally and with visuals in the area such as on billboards and street posters, and on-trade activities in local bars.
Co-founder Tom Bishop said: “Our goal is to introduce El Rayo Tequila in a way that resonates with the local community, blending art and advertising. It will celebrate the El Rayo T&T as a long, slow serve for 6pm, not 3am.”
Malibu has the scoop
Pernod Ricard-owned Malibu has teamed up with Swedish oat milk maker Oatly to create a Piña Colada-flavoured soft-serve ice cream.
Named the Piña Oatlada, the soft serve is vegan-friendly, made with oats and the rum liqueur. It has an ABV of 1.5%. Craig van Niekerk, vice-president of marketing at Malibu, said: “Our delicious new Piña Oatlada combines two great-tasting brands to create the ultimate taste of the season; it’s the perfect way to unplug and enjoy the summer.”
The Piña Oatlada is available at select bars in the UK during the summer, as well as festivals such as All Points East in London this month, and the VIP bar at Way Out West in Sweden (8-10 August).
Dre and Snoop surprise fans for UK launch of RTDs
After debuting in the US in February, Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s ready-to-drink (RTD) brand Gin & Juice has made its way to the UK.
The brand is named after Snoop Dogg’s 1994 single, Gin & Juice, which was produced by Dr Dre, and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the duo hosted an exclusive event at Flippers in London, where they performed with special guest Eminem. The range is made up of four flavours: citrus, melon, passionfruit and apricot.
Dr Dre said: “Together, we always try to create magic, we’re having fun being creative, and everything about this product is really us.”
The 5.9% ABV RTDs retail for £2.50 (US$3.25) per 250ml can.
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