Smirnoff flavours gets £3.65m UK roll out

Diageo Great Britain has announced a £3.65million integrated marketing campaign to support the national roll-out of Smirnoff flavoured vodkas. The flavours, Lime Smirnoff and Green Apple Smirnoff, which have been trialled in a select number of retailers in Bristol for almost 12 months (The Drinks Report – March 09) will be available to the off-trade nationally from June 2009.

From September 2009, Diageo GB will launch its above the line campaign aiming to raise awareness and understanding of Smirnoff flavours through national radio and online advertising, plus outdoor advertising in target cities.

Below the line activity will begin nationally in line with the summer roll out of Lime Smirnoff and Green Apple Smirnoff with bottle neck collars featuring the suggested long mixed spirit signature serves of Lime Smirnoff and cola and Green Apple Smirnoff and lemonade. The vibrant coloured bottles with neck collars featuring eye-catching images of fresh fruit will give the brand shelf standout.

Steve Hamilton, innovation commercialisation director at Diageo GB, says: “Lime Smirnoff and Green Apple Smirnoff provide retailers with a great option to differentiate their vodka offerings and appeal to consumers looking to add more variety to their current drinks repertoire. Smirnoff flavours differ to other flavoured vodkas in the market in that they are very much focused around the long mixed drink serve as opposed to being a cocktail base.

“The vodka category is the largest spirits category across the Great Britain on-trade, currently worth almost £1.2billion to retailers and licensees.  The Bristol test of Smirnoff flavours, which began in July 2008, saw some excellent results, in the vodka category, with a +29% incremental increase in overall vodka category sales, and huge growth within the flavoured vodka category at +400%. Bristol trials also delivered +25% incremental volume growth for Smirnoff No21 vodka , indicating an additional area of potential incremental profit for licensees.”

1 June 2009 - Felicity Murray