Gen-Z, Millennial Opps: Smirnoff launches first campaign from new creative AOR (Score 36)

Sales Lead: Smirnoff just launched its first work from McCann NY, which became its creative AOR last year.

• The campaign includes a new tagline, "We do we."
  • The work is centered around diversity and inclusion with a message focused on drinkers of various genders, ages, races, sexual orientations, and backgrounds.
  • The global campaign rolled out across channels such as TV, social, digital, and OOH, and it involved working with influencers.
  • Smirnoff is also investing in experiential activations at Pride events across cities including Houston, Chicago, and Seattle.
  • This is not the first time Smirnoff has focused on diversity; for example, in the past, it has teamed up with LGBTQIA+ influencer icons such as Laverne Cox.
  • However, this new work launches a more politicized and polarized world in which lots of brands are under attack from conservative politicians perturbed by "woke" marketing.
  • This is also not brand new for Smirnoff; it has also been criticized in the past for working with drag performer and activist Maxine LaQueene, who was removed forcibly from a TX state capitol protest.
  • The brand does not have an active partnership with LaQueene, but the two did work together on a promotional campaign last year.
  • However, Smirnoff is reportedly dedicated to its LGBTQIA+ fanbase.
• The brand  will likely:
  • Continue shifting strategy
  • Pursue additional influencer partnerships and experiential opportunities
  • Return to higher spend
  • Conduct additional agency reviews
• Target demographic: 
  • Gen-Z and millennials with a male skew

Additional spending insights:

• Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: So far this year, Smirnoff has spent approximately $3.6m on national TV commercials, only about half of the approximately $7.3m spent within the same 2022 timeframe.
  • Last year: The brand spent around $19m on this channel in 2022 after having spent half of this, around $9..5m, in 2021.
  • 2023 ad programming: Smirnoff's 2023 commercials have targeted the male-skewed audience of shows such as NFL Football, NBA Basketball, Law & Order, NCIS, and SportsCenter.
• Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: The brand has allocated roughly $10.2m toward digital ads YTD, down 10% from the roughly $11.3m allocated by this point last year.
  • YTD data: Since the beginning of 2023, Smirnoff has earned ~2.5b digital impressions via Facebook (51%), Instagram (37%), Twitter (5%), desktop display (3%), desktop video (3%), and mobile display (1%) ads.
  • Last year: In 2022, the brand's estimated full-year spend decreased by 13% to $19.3m from that of $22.1m in 2021.
• Additional channel insights  
  • The brand utilizes Google Ads along with linear, OTT, print (though barely), digital, OOH, local broadcast, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and online video (via Youtube.com) ads.
  • Smirnoff holds planning conversations in Q3 and buying conversations in Q2.
  • The brand sponsors podcasts such as Johnny Vaughan On Radio X.
  • Finally, Smirnoff currently has established sponsorships with teams such as the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leaves, and Phoenix Suns.

Additional agency insights:

• Opportunity: We have not yet heard of any additional roster shifts following the August 2022 creative AOR shift, so if you haven't yet done so, reach out to parent company Diageo to offer Smirnoff-specific media, PR, digital analytics, experiential, influencer, and/or multicultural services.
  • All of the following agency partners are headquartered in NY, so an advantage may go to those in the NE.
• Current agency roster (Smirnoff brand):
  • McCann NY: Creative AOR (August 2022)
  • PHD USA: Media AOR
  • 360i: Digital AOR
  • Taylor : PR agency partner
  • View Diageo's full roster here.

Insight Sources: Broadcast, linear, and OTT insights estimated by iSpot; digital spend insights estimated by Pathmatics; additional channel insights estimated by Vivvix; podcast insights by Podchaser; sponsorship partner insights by Relo Metrics.