Shaken and stirred
The Times' Stuart Elliott wrote a good article today alll about the state of play of marketing alcohol online.
It should come as no surprise that the dinosaurs/traditional agencies are having a lot of trouble. The main reason is that most of them can't admit what Elwyn Gladstone, the new-brand marketing director at Grant in New York, said to the NYTimes.
The category is so crowded, we really wanted to do something that would set us apart from all the other vodkas. Most importantly, we think our target consumer, 25 to 35 years old, is on the Web much more than on TV or in print.
It's nice to read about people who get it and are trying to affect change within their (oft well-established) businesses. Kudos as well to Dead As We Know It and Special Ops Media for helping Elwyn deliver something, er, special.
Here are a few quick summaries of the sites/campaigns mentioned in the article:
Reyka vodka
William Grant & Sons
Agency: Dead As We Know It
http://www.reykavodka.com
My rating: 8/10
Quick comments: Outstanding. Fun. Memorable. Stars local singer Hafdis Huld. She's very sweet, but also a bit mischievous. Media plan targeted on hip/edgy sites. Example banner here. Online-only launch is generating buzz.
Chivas
Pernod Ricard
Agency: TBA Global Events and MSN
http://thisisthelife.msn.com/
My rating: 0/10
Quick comments: Feels fake. The product of TV-based creative being repurposed for the web. It looks ok. It is nice and slick. Just like Madison Avenue. And what’s the deal with doing Chivas on MSN, anyway? Media planning gets a zero de conduit.
Seagram’s Gin and Juice
Pernod Ricard
Agency: Brand Architecture International/TBWA
http://whatdoyoubringtotheparty.com
My rating: 3/10
Quick comments: Nice idea. Crap execution. Likely conversation: “Hey, I heard photo galleries and Flickr are cool with the kids. We should get one of those, too.”
Bud.tv and Bud Bucks
Anheuser-Busch
Agency: DDB for Bud.TV
Does Bud Bucks Suck? and Is A-B Canning Bud.TV?
George’s rating: File under: Never had a chance ... “CEO August Busch IV today said the No. 1 brewer expects its pioneering online television network to "fade" during the second half of the year.The latest in a string of online misfires …”
Drink up, dreamers, you’re running dry ...
Technorati Tags: dinosaurs, fmcg, advertising, alcohol, reyka
Friday, June 22, 2007
 Comments:
For the record, the Reyka Vodka ads and website were created by the agency, Dead As We Know It, and media was placed by Special Ops Media.
# posted by : 9:44 PM, June 22, 2007
Thanks. Updated.
~G~
# posted by George Nimeh : 3:00 PM, June 23, 2007
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