Is there anything more American than Smirnoff ICE Red, White and Blue – Limited Edition – Blue Raspberry, Cherry and Citrus adult beverage? I know, there’s a lot that’s wrong with that statement. But a week out from America’s birthday I am, for the first time, considering cracking open a bottle of the blue saccharin hooch and taking a long pull. Why? Out of respect. Respect for a smart and clever ad campaign, and our nation’s birthday.
I love a great ad campaign. I appreciate clever use of words. I appreciate aggressive ad buys with broad audiences. I love seeing a brand with the smarts to connect their product with an event bigger than them. But most of all, I love a good twist in an ad campaign.
Smirnoff did just that. They developed a contest tied to the one thing many of us are unhappy about this Independence Day; July 4th falls on a Wednesday.
Like many people, I believe that a national holiday in the middle of the week is like an insult. Smirnoff seems to agree. Their latest campaign, written as an open letter to America reads:
Dear America,
Tell your boss you’re taking a five day weekend for America. Celebrating Independence in the middle of the week seems, well… un-American. So, Smirnoff ICE is paying for 100 people to take July 5th and 6th off to keep the freedom floating.
Comment on our contest post on the @smirnoffus Facebook page or Instagram pages to enter.
In the span of merely three days, Smirnoff’s Facebook post promoting the campaign had over 5,000 comments while their Instagram post had close to 1,500.
There you have it, a very smart ad campaign – it has it all:
- Well written copy
- Great placement (NY Times full page ad to start)
- Ties to an event that people care about
- A contest that gives people something valuable
- And a (presumably) tasty beverage
So next Wednesday, join Duft Watterson in a toast to America. And a toast to a clever ad campaign.
Happy Independence Day!