Titos ’ off-premise programming is centered on key shopping occasions , like Tito ’ s Tailgate coming this fall with POS support .
It ’ s the same for Phillips Distilling , with both UV and Prairie Organic brands , says VP of Marketing , Scott Meek . “ Promotion programming and displays at retail are where consumers experience brands , and it ’ s a great opportunity for us to tell their story ,” he says .
Research tells Phillips it ’ s important to have the brands in front of consumers . “ It ’ s critically important for retailers to drive category growth , for consumers to find the brand and discover how to use it . There ’ s nothing more important for us from a marketing perspective than creating great programming for retailers that consumers will love .”
UV is in the third year of its “ Salute the Heroes ” campaign partnering with the U . S . Chamber of Commerce to help active duty military and veterans find employment . That program includes outside store and social media activation , donations and a website to help facilitate job postings in the industry . UV now has ten iterations , but Phillips is focusing on the 80-proof unflavored , blue and cherry currently , with a renewed package rolling out this year making “ Made in the USA ” more prominent .
For Prairie Vodka , displays are focusing on the connection with regional farmers and the organic corn source for the brand .
Newcomer Smithworks is making a full-press on the American-made connection , with a tractor on the label and a launch in states including Missouri , Kansas and Oklahoma ( the source of the corn used ), and Arkansas ( which supplies the water ), says brand director Troy Gorczyca
Now in the process of expanding into other states , the brand was specifically created as a heartland vodka . “ We wanted to call out very clearly that it ’ s American-made , stating on the label where the corn and water are from and showcasing the tractor ,” he says .
“ We all know that consumers are looking for brands with an authentic story they can identify with ,” he adds . “ We know that it is a very crowded category , so we needed to find a way to get the message out there .” Blake Shelton came to Pernod at the time they were developing their own ideas , and Gorzyca says he ’ s a
partner with a serious involvement in the brand .
Deep Eddy continues to ride the fun brand imagery and feel , Pechman says . “ We feel strongly that given the personality of the brand - fun loving , laid back - we don ’ t take ourselves too seriously . Although we take making vodka seriously . In-store we ’ re looking for impactful displays that bring the brand ’ s personality to life ,” including the 1950s-style pin-up Betty icon . “ We ’ re looking to translate the brand ’ s personality to retail as a key point of differentiation from the brands that are in a more stylish and sophisticated space ,” he adds .
Burnett ’ s , even with more than 30 flavors , still accrues most of its sales from the straight variant . For the last two years the brand ’ s seasonal packaging of a 1.75-liter USA Party edition allowed for a lot of great floor displays , Hafer says , and this year it ’ s being repeated with the focus including fall tailgate displays .
Skyy , with 16 infusions but a focus on standard , citrus , blood orange and pineapple , just turned 25 years old and has launched a new campaign called “ Make Every Day ” to encourage consumers to take chances . The brand also launched a new infusion , apricot . “ We really want to be constant in our messaging and we ’ re going to build on the story of founder Maurice Kambar , telling that story to new consumers who don ’ t know it ,” Black says .
Even though older consumers may still think of brands like Skyy as newcomers , the emerging consumer is a blank slate . “ Being established gives you a certain amount of opportunity . We are reintroducing the Skyy story to a new generation of consumers ,” Black adds .
With stories being so important in today ’ s domestic vodka market , it seems most brands will be expected to do the same if they want to climb the price and popularity ladders in this crowded market . •
JACK ROBERTIELLO is the former editor of Cheers magazine and writes about beer , wine , spirits and all things liquid for numerous publications . More of his work can be found at www . jackrobertiello . com .
StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2017 31