Dive Brief:

• Diageo-owned vodka brand Ketel One is creating a collection of Emmy-inspired cocktails as part of its official spirits sponsorship of the 70th Emmy Awards Season, a news release announced. The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on Sept. 17. 
• The cocktails, called Enlightenment, Radiance, Restoration and Labyrinth, were created by award-winning mixologist Charles Joly to honor Emmy winners and nominees. They will be served at several Emmy after parties, the company said. Ketel One is also partnering with home delivery service Cocktail Courier on the limited-edition Ketel One Family-Made Voda X 70th Emmy Awards Cocktail Kit that includes the signature cocktail ingredients and instructions so people can create them at home. 
• As part of the cmapign, Ketel One teamed with the ride-sharing service Lyft to help stars and Emmy viewers get home safely after the awards show. Cocktail Courier kit purchasers will receive a code for a Lyft credit to use on Emmy night. Ketel One and Lyft are extending the code, "KetelOneXEmmys," to users across the country. 

Dive Insight:

Ketel One is taking a multichannel approach to its Emmys sponsorship, recognizing that spots during the awards programming might not be enough to connect with consumers who are watching live TV less frequently. Last year's Emmys live broadcast averaged about 11.4 million viewers, just a notch above the 2016 show's all-time low turnout of 11.3 million, according to Variety.

The campaign also includes several elements that might resonate with millennials and women, who are consuming more alcohol than in the past. Liquor sales overall are soaring, as younger consumers' tastes shift away from staple beer brands. The Emmys-themed cocktail kits play into millennials' growing interest in spirits and cocktail mixing, in particular. The age group is also more likely to use a subscription service like Cocktail Courier than other generations.

Younger consumers tend to favor mobile channels as well, and are the biggest users of ride-sharing services like Lyft. More alcohol brands are partnering with ride-sharing services to promote messages of responsible or drinking or simply offer unique experiences. Last fall, Budweiser and Lyft toured riders around New York City in a fleet of antique cars that stopped by landmarks and neighborhoods integral to the Prohibition era.