Dive Brief:

• Grey Goose debuted a campaign for its new line of vodka infused with fruit and botanical flavors in a minute-long spot during the Oscars pre-show. Grey Goose Essences is the Bacardi-owned brand's biggest product launch since the introduction of the original Grey Goose, and the campaign will run on traditional and digital channels, per a press release.
• The 60-second film shows a woman who walks outside a coffee shop and sees bouquets of flowers react to her movements as she strides down the street. From there, she's immersed in a parallel world where she dances with a whirlwind of flower petals, representing the natural ingredients in the infused vodkas.
• Grey Goose worked with creative agency MullenLowe LA on the film, which was produced by visual effects studio Time Based Arts. Grey Goose plans to extend the campaign for its infused vodkas with a mix of digital and physical creative elements this spring and summer, per its announcement.

Dive Insight:

Grey Goose is putting significant marketing muscle behind the launch of Grey Goose Essences with its multichannel campaign on traditional and digital platforms. With many consumers learning to mix cocktails at home during the pandemic, Grey Goose aims to take some of guesswork out of combining different ingredients with its Essences line. The new products, which mark the brand's entry into the growing category of infused vodkas, has exceeded sales projections by 50%, and the campaign looks to build on this growth.

"The otherworldly, sensorial journey our main character is immersed in marks the next phase of our Essences campaign and introduces drinkers to a fresh new side of the Grey Goose world," Martin de Dreuille, Grey Goose's vice president of global marketing, said in the announcement.

The health crisis had led to a significant shift in spirits consumption, as people splurged on pricier liquor brands instead of spending money on travel, concerts and sporting events. U.S. distillers' sales last year rose 7.7% — the fastest growth in 40 years — to a record $31.2 billion, according to Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) data cited by The Wall Street Journal. Spirits brands that cost more than $40 for a standard 750-mL bottle made up 40% of the industry's U.S. sales growth in 2020, compared with only 34% a year earlier, according to DISCUS. Grey Goose can capture a bigger share of the demand for premium spirits with its new Essences line.

Grey Goose hinted that the campaign for Essences will include real-life creative elements later this year, a sign that its marketing efforts will try to reach consumers outside the home as pandemic restrictions are lifted on restaurants and bars. A resumption of those marketing activities would signal a partial shift back from its virtual efforts during the pandemic. Last year, Grey Goose recruited out-of-work bartenders for a video series on social media called "House Pour" that showed how to make cocktails at home. The video included a link to donate funds to struggling bartenders.