Stoli Wants to Be Original in Its New Ad Campaign

Stolichnaya vodka has teamed up with Berlin Cameron United, its new agency to launch a new music-inspired global campaign today, on April 2.

The ‘Original’ campaign follows the celebrity-packed one entitled ‘Would you have a drink with you?’ and featuring Hefner, actress Julia Stiles and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. Last year, Stoli also used the idea of ‘originality’ in its promotions in the UK and Australia.

The new campaign includes digital advertising and doesn’t include TV commercials, to emphasize its difference from other vodka brands that widely promote their products on TV.

Three new 30-second ad videos were filmed in Germany and directed by Jonas Akerlund, known for his collaborations with Lady Gaga and Madonna. Inspired by music, the ads feature original remixes by contemporary artists including Avicii and uses tagline ‘The most original people deserve the most original vodka.’ The spots show partygoers spraying each other with paint, dancing at a club and chilling.

According to Ad Age, Lisa Pfenning, Stoli’s category marketing director at US distributor William Grant & Sons said that the shift is based on the Stoli’s  target audience’s media consumption . «We know they are consuming digital media nonstop, and we want to place our media where our target is spending their time, where we can connect with them,» she said.

The premium vodka brand targets young people aged 25 to 30 living in big cities. According to SymphonyIRI, Stoli is the No. 8 vodka in the US, with a 2.55% share. The new campaign will attempt to boost Stoli’s sales that fell 2.53% in the 52 weeks ending February 19, to $29.8 million.