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Top 10 marketing moves from September 2024
With sustainable and inclusive innovations and an annual celebration of the Negroni, September was overflowing with marketing moves worth noting.
While Bruichladdich flexed its creative muscles with an out-of-the-box out-of-home campaign, one English vodka brand joined the whisky producer in the B Corp-certified family.
Meanwhile, actor Ryan Reynolds found himself talking to a pumpkin in his latest spot for Aviation American Gin, while bergamot-based liqueur Italicus roped in the help of Drinks Masters winner LP O’Brien to celebrate the first National Rosolio Day.
Keep scrolling to learn about our top 10 marketing moves from last month.
Looking for more clever marketing moves? Check out our round-up from August.
Johnnie Walker treads lightly
Diageo-pwned blended whisky Johnnie Walker has unveiled what it claims to be the “world’s lightest whisky bottle”.
A result of five years of development, the 700ml bottle weighs only 180g without its closure, topping the previous holder of the title by 118g. It was created by adopting a test‐and‐learn model by hand‐blowing the glass, and uses a teardrop shape, reforming the traditional Johnnie Walker square bottle.
The light‐bottle format is titled Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ultra. The brand’s master blender, Dr Emma Walker, made a new Blue Label whisky for the release. It contains liquids from distilleries such as Oban, Brora, and Royal Lochnagar, as well as ‘ghost whiskies’ from defunct distilleries. Limited to 888 bottles, the light bottle will be available in 2025 for £1,000 (US$1,312).
Italicus campaigns for aperitivo
Italian brand Italicus created the first National Rosolio Day in various markets (held on 1 September), and also launched a
campaign celebrating the aperitivo for the month.
The brand, which celebrated its eighth anniversary in September, collaborated with mixologist LP O’Brien (winner of Netflix series Drink Masters), who hosted a mini‐series campaign educating consumers about the brand, aperitivos, and the culture around the category, and presented cocktail recipes using Italicus that can be made at home.
Eight countries took part in the campaign: France, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.
Participating bars offered exclusive Italicus cocktail menus. “The aperitivo is a global trend that started in Italy,” said Italicus
founder Giuseppe Gallo.
Aviation gets into Negroni Week spirit
Aviation American Gin, backed by Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, has created a commercial for the global Negroni Week in September.
Billing itself as the “official American gin of Negroni Week”, the ad stars Reynolds, who introduces a pumpkin‐headed costumed figure, Tony O’Groni. After some back and forth, Reynolds eventually gives up on O’Groni, and does the promotion himself, instructing viewers to “just go to NegroniWeek.com for the recipe”.
The ingredients for the Aviation American Gin Classic Negroni are: one part Aviation American Gin, one part bitter aperitivo liqueur, and one part sweet vermouth. To make the cocktail, stir and strain and then garnish with an orange peel.
Ketel One helps sight-impaired
Vodka brand Ketel One has placed QR codes on the bottles of its ready‐to‐serve cocktails to make its products more accessible to consumers who are blind or have low vision.
The codes are said to allow for easier identification for people with sight impairment, which aligns with the brand’s commitment to “deliver an exceptional spirit to all cocktail drinkers”.
The accessible codes can be found on the brand’s bottled Espresso Martini and Cosmopolitan products, and can be detected by accessibility apps such as Microsoft Seeing AI, Be My Eyes, and Envision. Once scanned, the user’s phone announces the product
category and its physical distance through text‐to‐speech and enhanced font size.
Information including product details and allergens is also detected on the apps. The tech was developed by augmented reality creative studio, Zappar.
Buffalo Trace kicks off rugby sponsorship
Bourbon brand Buffalo Trace has partnered with Premiership Rugby, becoming the first whiskey to be named as a spirits partner of the English rugby union competition.
The multi‐year deal will start for the 2024/25 season, and will see Buffalo Trace engage fans with activations, and share exclusive player content throughout the tournament, as well as social media and broadcast promotions. The Bourbon can be found at all clubs in the league in England, and in hospitality and food and drink concessions as the sole in‐stadium Bourbon pour.
Laura Edwards, managing director of Buffalo Trace UK, said: “Our landmark partnership with Premiership Rugby provides our business with an incredible platform to continue the exponential growth of the Buffalo Trace brand in the UK market.”
Bruichladdich makes a splash with aqua bottle
Rémy Cointreau‐owned Bruichladdich Distillery launched its Not Your Classic campaign in collaboration with creative beverage
specialist Thirst, serving to challenge traditional preconceptions around whisky.
The campaign brings a playful, tongue‐in‐cheek tone of voice to the single malt category, and centres around three ‘irreverent heroes’ – outlook, attitude and thinking – each challenging preconceptions of what a ‘typical’ whisky drinker looks like.
Gareth Brown, global marketing director at Bruichladdich Distillery, said: “Our aqua bottle [for The Classic Laddie single malt] stands apart on back bars and in shopping aisles, and the Not Your Classic campaign is an extension of this progressive, playful nature. Consumers are looking for conscientious brands that are not only sustainable and socially responsible but also reflect their appetite for joy and delight.”
Gattertop lands B Corp status
English craft vodka company Gattertop Drinks has gained B Corp certification.
The company scored 81.9 points on its assessment to achieve the status, which recognises companies for ‘meeting the highest
standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency’. Of the process of achieving B Corp, the company’s founder Gemma Standeven, said that “while challenging, it has been incredibly rewarding”.
Standeven added: “It delved deep into every aspect of our business, demanding a higher standard of social and environmental responsibility. Being part of this community of visionary companies is truly exciting, as we all strive to use our businesses as a force for good, putting people and our planet on equal footing with profit.”
Jägermeister shows its true colours
Mast‐Jägermeister has introduced two limited edition packs to celebrate a creative partnership with Pantone.
The packs are designed in the brand’s signature orange and green colours, which Pantone has called ‘Culture Orange’ and ‘Herbal Green’. Christian Suding, global team leader of brand marketing and collaborations at Mast‐Jägermeister, said: “Our biggest icon, the square bottle, is at the heart of both limited design packs, and the monochrome design elevates them into true collectors’ pieces.”
As well as the bottle, the Culture Orange pack features a Porsche Carrera RSR on a 1:43 scale, while The Herbal Green version has a stag‐head pourer. The packs are limited to 560 sets of each in selected markets, available only through Gebr Heinemann.
Ukiyo takes the Tube for campaign
Kirker Greer Spirits’ Ukiyo Tokyo Dry Gin launched its first out‐of‐home (OOH) campaign in August, which was visible in 23
stations on the London Underground.
The campaign, which ran until the end of September, could be seen in key stations in Zones 1 and 2, and featured ‘cross‐track’ posters that showed the brand’s ‘stir the senses’ creative, and offered a 20% discount code, redeemable at the brand’s website.
“This significant OOH campaign marks a major milestone for Ukiyo, highlighting the brand’s growing success and increasing recognition,” said Ali Pickering, chief marketing officer at Drinksology Kirker Greer.
The poster was on display at sites including Old Street, major transit hubs such as King’s Cross and Euston, and onward routes to Heathrow Airport.
Bosque toasts the Negroni
Argentinian brand Bosque Gin took part in the global celebrations for the 12th annual Negroni Week, which ran from
16 to 22 September.
The brand teamed up with bars in the US, Colombia, and its native Argentina to create special Negroni recipes for the week,
and also hosted bar experiences and offered special discounts through its online store.
In Buenos Aires, it invited guests to two‐for‐one cocktail nights at Park Hyatt hotel and Felino Bar. More than 60 bars and restaurants in Argentina are said to have taken part in Negroni Week this year.
The brand said the week provided an opportunity to reinforce its global presence. This year, it has expanded to markets such as the US, Brazil, Colombia, and Poland.
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