Top 10 spirits marketing campaigns in July

A golfing Justin Timberlake, renowned Formula One racing stars and some of the UK fashion world’s most familiar faces feature in a swathe of new spirits marketing campaigns launched last month.

Click through the following pages to discover the top 10 spirits marketing campaigns launched last month

Meanwhile, Ole Smoky Moonshine promoted itself as Bourbon’s “hotter, wilder, younger sister” and William Grant revealed its new role as the official spirits and Champagne provider of the Rugby World Cup 2015.

Also in the sports world, Sauza 901 Tequila was named official Tequila sponsor of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, where its co-founder Justin Timberlake was a contestant, and Grey Goose renewed its sponsorship of a top awards ceremony.

Following its acquisition by Quintessential Brand, French liqueur brand Alizé went back its its hip hop roots with a new music-focussed campaign.

Click through the following pages for more details of the top 10 spirits marketing campaigns launched in July 2015.

AnCnoc

Single malt Scotch whisky anCnoc has been chosen as the official drinks partner for the Olympus Pen Scottish Fashion Awards 2015, as the event celebrates its 10th anniversary.

The black tie gala, which takes place on 3 September at the Corinthia Hotel in London, honours the most distinguished talents within fashion, design and textiles and recruited anCnoc as part of its “Highland Gathering” theme.

Guests will be able to enjoy anCnoc’s 12-year-old variant from its core collection, which is said to be soft and aromatic on the nose with hints of honey and lemon.

“The Scottish Fashion Awards is the perfect fit for anCnoc – a brand that is proud of its heritage whilst also focusing on design and innovation to create a thoroughly modern whisky,” said Stephanie Allison, anCnoc brand manager. “It leads us into another exciting fashion partnership launching at the end of this year.”

Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker partnered with Formula One racing stars last month to launch an anti-drink-driving campaign over the British Grand Prix weekend. The initiative was a joint effort between the Scotch whisky brand, the Department for Transport’s ‘Think!’ road safety campaign and McLaren Honda.

F1 drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, chief executive officer Ron Dennis and racing director Eric Boullier all added their signatures alongside the #JoinThePact and Think! logos to the side of the McLaren Honda car to re-enforce the anti-drink-driving message.

“We want to give a strong message to the public to never drink and drive, and can’t think of a more powerful way to do so than to partner with the government and Formula One stars to deliver this message with one voice,” said Andrew Cowan, country director, Diageo GB.

Johnnie Walker has supported McLaren for 10 years and the latest campaign move comes as part of Diageo’s global Join the Pact campaign, which hopes to have collected five million signatures pledging to never drink and drive, over the next three years.

Hornitos Tequila

Hornitos Tequila has signed a deal to become the official Tequila of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Not only that, but the brand is also named rights partner of the recently launched left field group space, which is now called Hornitos Hacienda.

The space features standing room and limited seating for 15 to 50 fans and offers them “the best view” in the Budweiser Bleachers to watch matches.

Hornitos Tequila signage will be displayed on the left field wall and in-game promotion on the left field video board.

A multitude of signature cocktails will also be offered throughout the ballpark to provide the “ultimate game day experience”.

Ole Smoky Moonshine

Ole Smoky Moonshine has launched its first-ever marketing campaign, titled “C’mon Live a Little”. The campaign hit social media first, but has since been rolled out to cover print, on-premise, off-premise and outdoor advertisements.

The brand partnered with LA-based creative shop Standard Time to design the overall look of the campaign, as well as bicoastal digital shop Vayner Media to manage the brand’s social media channels and digital footprint.

“Ole Smoky is excited to continue to pioneer the moonshine category,” said John Cochran, CEO of Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine.

Tovaritch!

Vodka brand Tovaritch! was one of the spirit sponsors of the Art Gala at Masterpiece, as part of the its endeavours to give back to society. The charity event raised £1.25 million for the National Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

“At Tovaritch! we have perfected the art of selling, now it is time for us to practice the art of giving,” said CEO Eugenio Litta Modignani.

“The name of our brand is Russian and means friend. We thought it only natural to offer the hand of friendship to a deserving enterprise. NSPCC’s noble fight against child abuse fit the bill perfectly.”

William Grant & Sons

The Rugby World Cup 2015 has selected William Grant & Sons as its official spirits and Champagne tournament provider – a first for the independent distiller.

As a result, the drinks company will have exclusive pouring rights at all Rugby World Cup 2015 stadiums with brands including Grant’s, Glenfiddich, Hendrick’s, Sailor Jerry and Zubrowka.

“We are incredibly excited about our association with Rugby World Cup 2015,” commented Gary Keogh, marketing director, William Grant & Sons UK. “This tournament is one of the world’s greatest sporting events and we’re looking forward to engaging millions of rugby fans with our portfolio of brands in and around match venues, at a bar or at home.”

The Rugby World Cup 2015 is set to take place from 18 September to 31 October.

Grey Goose

Grey Goose vodka renewed its sponsorship deal with the ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award), which celebrates the year’s top sporting achievers.

Now in its 23rd year, the annual awards ceremony presented by Capital One featured Grey Goose as the official vodka of The Body and ESPYs pre-event party, acknowledging athletes who “Fly Beyond” in their sporting accomplishments as well as recognising those who help them reach their goals.

The brand also hosted the Grey Goose Lounge at The Body and ESPYs plus a backstage lounge during the show on 15 July, which served Grey Goose cocktails including the signature High Five creation, made with Grey Goose vodka, watermelon juice, coconut water, lime juice and a habanero pepper.

Grey Goose also filmed several short vignettes that were showcased on the ESPN website.

Sauza 901

Sauza 901 Tequila was the official Tequila sponsor of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, which took place in the US last month.

The brand has a promotional and on-course presence at the event, which saw more than 80 famous faces from the worlds of sports and entertainment go head-to-head for the chance to take away US$600,000 and raise additional funds for numerous charities.

Among those competing in this year’s tournament was Sauza 901 Tequila founder, Justin Timberlake, and brand partner Kevin Ruder. A Sauza 901 Tequila Bar was set up by the 14th hole, offering a viewing platform, bar and food menu.

Alizé

International drinks group Quintessential Brands has launched a new marketing campaign for Alizé to recognise the French spirit’s musical heritage.

Titled Alizé Louder, the campaign aims to build on the brand’s history with hip hop music such as mentions in songs by Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and Jay Z, and bring the group in line with modern music scene.

“We wanted to unlock the brand’s intrinsic equity and heritage and have appointed the specialist fan-focused marketing agency, Ear to the Ground, to help us understand music fans and build the brand for a new generation,” commented Lizzy Johnson, global brand and marketing director at Quintessential Brands.

Jay Orlean-Taub, will manage the campaign, having recently joined the company from Diageo.

Gruppo Campari

Gruppo Campari’s latest campaign is all about promoting the Italian lifestyle around the world in partnership with Italian food market Group Eataly.

The partnership will last until December 2018 and will see Gruppo Campari’s portfolio elevated in Eataly’s sixteen stores, including Turin, New York, Chicago and Sao Paulo, as well as future openings predicted to grow Eataly’s presence by almost 50% globally.

Campari and Aperol will be highlighted in Eataly’s bars and other brands such as after-dinner liqueurs Averna, Braulio, Cynar and Cinzano 1757 will be subject to local market availability. The collaboration will also involve Campari co-hosting events within eataly stores across the globe, as well as educational events by the Campari academy.