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Cîroc Vodka Refines its Positioning
With a vodka distilled from grapes,you’d think the unique
nature of Cîroc would be self-evident. Perhaps it is, but Diageo aims
to remove all doubt with its new campaign for the brand and take
on-premise sales to a new phase.
“When you take a look at your first 100,000 cases, it’s all about how
you grow the brand commercially and look for those consumers that you
can get trial and awareness,” says Jeff Parrott, brand manager. “We’re
still about trial and awareness, but what we’ve refined is the consumer opportunity.”
Vodka Uncommon
“When we did a deep dive to find out who the consumer is for Cîroc, we
found our position is an uncommon vodka in a very common, ultra-premium
vodka world,” Parrott says. “We’re different from the rest; we’re from
France and we’re made from grapes. It’s distilled five times. We go the
extra mile with it, and there’s a consumer group out there that that
means something to.”
Fair enough, but in a market in which nearly every premium,
super-premium and ultra-premium boasts of superior distillation and the
like, Cîroc knows there has to be more to the message. New advertising
conveys the message “Celebrate Vodka Uncommon” with a visual of Cîroc
served in a Champagne glass.
“We’re not asking for every consumer out there, every time they have
Cîroc, to put it in a Champagne glass,” Parrott says. “We’re trying to
be realistic. But in terms of featured drinks, specifically with
bartenders, it’s about elevating the experience by serving Cîroc in a
Champagne glass. We see it here in New York — serving Champagne
cocktails is here and now, but it’s a positioning for Cîroc that (no
other vodka) can claim.”
On-premise activities are planned, but the exact details of that next step are yet to be announced.
New Nuances
“Our campaign in the past was all around ‘Go Against the Grain,’ and
this is the next step or evolution of that,” Parrott says. “(The new
campaign) is closer to the consumers who think of themselves as
uncommon or different in a positive way.
“Right now, if you look at the ultra-premium vodka world, there’s
getting to be some players that are almost like the Budweisers of the
ultra-premium world. Our consumer is a little bit more independent and
discerning and looking for that brand that’s a cut above. But they also
need to know why it’s a cut above. The copy that supports the campaign
is all around (the distillation).”
Merely boasting of the best or smoothest taste is too common for the Vodka Uncommon, Parrott says.
“So many brands are focusing on the taste of (their) vodkas. We’ve got
a fantastic taste, but it’s an area that everyone’s trying to claim.
We’re trying to talk about Cîroc complements anything you mix it with.
It really releases the flavor in your cocktails, which is a functional
area nobody’s really claiming.
“It gets people to think about the brand differently,” Parrott says.
“We’ve done a lot of consumer work, and truly everything that you see
that we’re doing is very much focused on being an uncommon vodka.
“Along with our campaign, as part of everything we do at Diageo, we
have a Drink Responsibly (aspect). It’s core to everything we do.”
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