Top drinks marketing campaigns: July

Drinks giants pause social media ad spend

Drinks companies are suspending their Facebook advertising (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Diageo, Brown-Forman, Beam Suntory and Britvic have said they will pause its social media advertising budget, as companies are rethinking relationships with platforms that do not adequately regulate misinformation.

Diageo, which makes Smirnoff vodka, said last month it will pause paid advertising globally on “major social media platforms” from July, in reaction to what it called “unacceptable content” appearing near the company’s ads. Diageo didn’t specify which social media platforms would be included or the length of the advertising pause.

The company’s announcement came just over a week after six campaign groups called on Facebook advertisers to pause their spending on the network during the month of July. The organisations included the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Anti-Defamation League, Color of Change, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change, Common Sense and Free Press.
Starbucks, Levi’s, Coca-Cola and Unilever
have also pulled advertising from Facebook
and Instagram following the launch of the #StopHateforProfit campaign.

Beam Suntory said it has joined the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, adding its Facebook and Instagram advertising in the US would be suspended this month.

In a statement, the company said: “We stand up for what’s right, and we stand with all who are committed to the fight against hate speech, racism and prejudice. That’s why Beam Suntory is joining #StopHateForProfit, pausing all paid Facebook and Instagram advertising in the US across our brand portfolio throughout July.

“We hope this collective action helps catalyse positive change and accountability, and we will evaluate our advertising approach beyond July as we await Facebook’s response.”

Brown-Forman also said it would stop advertising its brands on Facebook and Instagram.

“Respect is at the core of who we are and how we operate,” the company said.

“Brown-Forman is taking time to pause and reflect upon how we, along with our media partners, can be better and do better. During this time, we reiterate our belief that more can and should be done to address inequality, hate, and racism.”

Pernod Ricard to develop anti-hate speech app

Also joining the calls for social media reform was Pernod Ricard, which owns Jameson whiskey.

Pernod Ricard has announced plans to develop an app that will enable consumers to confront and remove hate speech on social media platforms.

The French drinks giant said it will create a crowdsourcing app that gives people who come across hate speech on social media the power to identify and report content they find objectionable directly to brands and companies.

Once an example is flagged up, brands can leverage their own influence on social media to help ensure the content is reviewed and, if necessary, removed.

SA wine business sells washable sanitary pads

South Africa’s Rascallion Wines added washable sanitary products to its online shop.

Rascallion Wines, launched by Ross Sleet in 2018, is a négociant based in Stellenbosch which sources wine from cellars in Stellenbosch, the Swartland, Darling and Roberston.

However, like many businesses, Rascallion was unable to sell their products within South Africa for more than two months, as the country’s coronavirus lockdown banned alcohol sales.

While Rascallion’s domestic business was in hibernation, Sleet used the company’s social media platforms to pledge support for a string of causes, from providing meals to self-isolating South Africans, to partnering with Dignity Dreams, a charity that makes washable sanitary pads for women without access to disposable products across the country.

“My two sisters, two daughters and five nieces have all had the privilege of having access to female sanitary products their entire lives, but for very many young girls and women in South Africa and Africa, this is not the case,” Sleet said in a blog post in April.

Washable pads can now be purchased on Rascallion’s website for R220 (£10.36), with 100% of the profits going to the charity.

Dignity Dreams also receives a portion of the sales price of each bottle of wine sold from Rascallion’s With Love from the Cape collection.

Santa Rita signs Arsenal’s Alex Scott for premier tasting

South American wine group Santa Rita Estates has started hosting weekly virtual wine tastings with former Arsenal football club players to mark the return of the Premier League.

Santa Rita’s winemaker Óscar Salas linked up with Arsenal legend and pundit Alex Scott MBE to discuss the championship, as well as sample wines from the Santa Rita portfolio.

During the event, viewers also had a chance to win a signed Arsenal shirt, and a bottle of Santa Rita’s 120 Arsenal Edition Wine.
The catch-up took place the day after Arsenal’s match with Southampton, and was featured over Santa Rita’s and Scott’s own Instagram stories, broadcast live on 26 June.

Scott mostly played as a right-back for Arsenal in the FA Women’s Super League.

She is also the co-host of the Sky Sports programme, Goals on Sunday, and is also a regular on BBC’s Match of the Day.
The football club renewed its ongoing wine partnership with Santa Rita Estates last year.

The deal gives the producer, which owns wine brands Santa Rita, Carmen and Doña Paula, exclusive pouring rights on still wines and sparkling wines from its portfolio across club level and general admission areas at Emirates Stadium in north London.

Santa Rita also has access to Arsenal’s head coach and legends through the partnership.

‘Chief Hiking Officer’ sought for Appalachian beer blog

A brewery in Lexington, Virginia, is looking for a brand ambassador-cum-blogger to hike the Appalachian Trail and drink beer next year.

Devil’s Backbone Brewing Company, situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains a few miles away from where the famous hiking trail crosses through Virginia, is accepting applications for a “chief hiking officer” to wake all 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine next year.

The brewery, which is owned by AB InBev, will sponsor a lucky winner to walk the entire trail, while posting videos about their experience and sampling some of the beers in Devil’s Backbone’s portfolio along the way. Devil’s Backbone will pay for all hiking equipment, supply the beer, and also pay the successful candidate US$20,000 (£16,000) for their efforts.

There is also the promise of “big ol’ beer parties” throughout the five- to seven-month slog, according to the brewer’s website.

To enter, hopeful hikers need to submit an application that includes their Instagram handle or a link to a blog, as evidence they would be competent brand ambassadors during the expedition. They also must upload a 60-second video to convince the brewer’s recruiters they are capable of hiking 2,190 miles, drinking beer, and staying positive along the way.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the non-profit that manages the trail, began cautioning hikers to stay home in mid-March as the coronavirus started to spread around the US.

Heineken launches wash-off labels for F1 return

Heineken created customised bottles with a limited edition series of Formula 1 labels to celebrate the return of the Grand Prix to the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands.

The labels, which were printed by Multi-Color Corporation in Germany, are printed on a material which can be washed off and reused. The Heineken bottle can then be rebranded for later use, and offers the same graphic and performance benefits of traditional, single use pressure-sensitive labels.

There are 22 labels in the collection, with each one displaying a participating country and their race track.

Carlsberg launches red beer can for Liverpool FC win

Carlsberg is launching a limited edition ‘Champions Can’ in honour of Liverpool’s historic early victory last night (25 June).

The new release, which also features Liverpool FC’s crest, player signatures and the words ‘Champions, 2020 onwards’, will be available in 23 countries across the world; with UK fans able to get their hands on the can and a glass chalice through an online giveaway in the coming weeks, the brewer said.

Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions as Manchester City dropped points at Chelsea, shortly after Liverpool beat Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening. With 7 matches still to play, it marks Liverpool’s 19th top-flight title and their first since 1989-90.

It’s not the first time Carlsberg has had a makeover to honour its relationship with Liverpool. The brewer released a bright red pilsner brewed specifically for Liverpool FC fans in April 2019.

Carlsberg renewed its sponsorship deal with Liverpool F.C. last May, which the Danish beer giant has benefitted from since 1992. Theirs is the longest-running partnership between a brewer and a Premier League club.

Edinburgh Gin turns over a new leaf with Penguin Books

Edinburgh Gin partnered with publisher Penguin Books to create a Father’s Day gift pack that includes a bottle of gin and a clothbound book.

The limited-edition gift set, priced at £40, included a 70cl bottle of Edinburgh Gin’s Classic London Dry alongside a choice of three novels from Penguin’s Clothbound Classics collection.

Customers could choose between The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Robinson Crusoe.
Described as “zesty and juniper-forward”, Edinburgh Gin’s Classic London Dry is bottled at 43% ABV and is made with 14 botanicals, including lavender, pine buds, mulberries, orange peel, lemongrass and cobnuts.

Neil Boyd, UK managing director of Ian Macleod Distillers, which owns Edinburgh Gin, said: “Edinburgh Gin is thrilled to be
working with our friends at Penguin Books to celebrate all those timeless dads out there – those who would appreciate nothing more than enjoying getting lost in a great book with a delicious drink in hand.

“Our popular, classic London Dry Gin is sure to be the perfect addition to their home bar, and the charming Penguin Clothbound Classic edition will certainly take pride of place on his bookshelf. So, here’s to all those fantastic fathers out there – we’re raising a glass to you.”

WineGB launches first ‘virtual’ English Wine Week

WineGB took its annual annual English Wine Week celebrations online this year because of the coronavirus crisis, with a virtual wine week taking place from 20-28 June. To help fly the flag for English and Welsh wine, retailers were encouraged to host virtual events and winemaker tastings via Zoom and Instagram Live, in addition to promoting special offers on home-grown drops on their websites. During the week, a slew of English vineyards hosted virtual vineyard tours and tastings, and partnered with local retailers on special offers.

“We’ve seen a huge amount of resourcefulness and creativity among our members and the wine trade over the last few months, and we are keen to harness this to further support our industry during English Wine Week,” Julia Trustram Eve, marketing manager of WineGB, said ahead of the week-long celebration.

Ahead of the event, WineGB hosted virtual events every Friday evening to showcase several key winemaking regions in the UK.

“Our #EnglishWineNights across social media have been a huge success, and we want to build on this increased awareness and
goodwill for English wine producers.”

“With several key summer events taking place during this period including Father’s Day and the summer solstice, it’s the perfect time to promote English Wines for summer”, she added.

Hattingley Valley partners with Sky for TV ad campaign

The 30 second commercial, which the brand has called “C’est Anglais”, features three French connoisseurs in a cellar sampling a bottle of Hattiungley, incredulous that English sparkling wine can compare with top French fizz.

It will air from 18 June on Sky News, Comedy Central, Sky Witness, Sky Documentaries, Sky 1, Food Network, Fox, Sky Arts and TLC.

Hattingley has capitalised on the substantial cut in advertising costs as hundreds of companies have cut their own marketing budgets during lockdown.

UK ad spend dropped 27% year-on-year across all media channels in March, according to Nielsen data. Revenues from travel, transport and business advertising halved, while retail investments fell by around 20%.

Although less dependent on ad revenue for survival thanks to its subscription model, Sky is still vulnerable due to its heavy reliance on sports. As well as streaming high profile games, it also sells on-trade partnerships that allow licensees to screen sporting events at their pubs or bars.

But Sky Sports customers can now “pause” their subscription, and the company agreed to stop billing pubs and clubs until a live sport schedule returned. A spokesperson for the English fizz brand said Hattingley has managed to “capitalise on affordable media options presented to them during this current time.”