Brew Blog – Beer Industry Market Analysis, News and Commentary: Shakeups in Spirits Advertising
Stoli, Sauza retool ad agencies.
Two spirits brands that have been lagging their competitors — Stolichnaya and Sauza — are shaking up their ad agency rosters.
SPI Group, the parent of Stolichnaya, has tapped Ogilvy, New York, as its new agency. Stoli grew at a 4.5 percent clip last year, but it was outpaced by rivals including Smirnoff, Absolut, Grey Goose and Skyy.
From Ad Age:
The agency change comes as Stoli aims to better connect with the “trendsetters,” the hip, young-adult consumers. It also coincides with SPI’s five-year plan to boost global sales and gain a stronger foothold in the U.S., the top global market for premium vodka.
Ogilvy will need to refresh brand positioning and devise a new global creative campaign for Stoli, which is growing in a hit market for upscale vodkas, but domestically is not doing so as quickly as its peers.
Meanwhile. Sauza is splitting with Publicis. From Ad Age:
Sauza is the second-largest tequila brand in the world, and its sales have been steady in the crucial U.S. market, with shipments rising 5.5% to about 1.5 million cases last year, according to the spirits trade magazine Impact.
The tequila category grew faster, however, at 7.5%, led by more upscale brands such as Patron, which surpassed Sauza as the No. 2 U.S. brand last year.
To keep pace with that trend, Sauza has of late been investing more of its marketing dollars and energy behind its higher-end Hornitos line. Sauza spent $5 million last year in the U.S. on measured media for all its brands, according to TNS.
Here’s the Ad Age story on Stoli. Here’s the Ad Age story on Sauza.
