Going to the Well
The hook may have been The Last Samurai, it was hardly last call.
Smirnoff latched onto the major motion picture last year to entice bartenders to come to exclusive screenings and afterward taste a little vodka at trendy bashes at local nightclubs.
The vodka maker had a couple of items on its promotional agenda: to show off its new look and to get out the story on the quality of the vodka. It also wanted to persuade bartenders, bar owners and bar managers to keep the liquor in-house and to recommend and pour it for patrons.
“We just had not been doing the best job of telling people about the quality of Smirnoff,” says spokesperson Beth Davies, who represents the brand for parent Diageo.
Last fall, invitations went out to 6,000 registrants via Bars.com — a Web community of bartenders as well as other bar keeps — in five markets. Some 1,000 bartenders RSVPed online at SmirnoffSessions.com, and in December it was time to party.
The Last Samurai was selected for the five film screening sessions for its appeal to a broad audience and the massive ad campaign that was already underway, generating consumer interest. The screenings were followed by “education” parties with plenty of hors d’oeuvres, a DJ and, of course, Smirnoff cocktails. An average 275 attendees per event joined in the fun.
“We know that the bartenders have the opportunity to influence the customers,” says Cecile Mirman, account supervisor with U.S. Concepts in New York City, which handled the promotion.
Displays were set up throughout the venue that included a responsible drinking message. Brand ambassadors mingled with the bartenders and a Smirnoff video played continuously on large screens introducing the new look and the simultaneous “Neat” campaign. “Neat” is a consumer advertising campaign that includes TV, print, out-of-home and radio. Ads show the newly designed bottle accompanied by an olive, a twist or a shot glass to convey the message that Smirnoff can be enjoyed by itself. The five events were held in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale and Denver.
The new Smirnoff bottle sports broad shoulders and a tapered body with a new red and silver logo.
The Smirnoff Sessions is just one element in a $157 million campaign that kicked off last fall that includes Neat and the Smirnoff Experience, a music concert tour that delivers unexpected concerts in unexpected places. For example, one concert popped up in New York City featuring N.E.R.D. and Pharrell Williams.
As a thank you, Smirnoff sent 700 e-mails to Sessions attendees with a link to photos of the events, which garnered a 34% click-through rate.
The tale doesn’t end there, however. The success of the Sessions prompted Smirnoff to use the model in conjunction with the theatrical release of Starsky & Hutch in Chicago in March and this month is testing the combination of a technology and fashion event in Los Angeles, also targeting bartenders.
