Dive Brief:

• Smirnoff, the vodka brand marketed by Diageo, launched a nationwide campaign honoring the start of the NFL season and enshrined fan traditions, according to a press release.
• “We Do Game Days” centers on spots celebrating football culture with its myriad superstitions. Anthony Anderson, the Emmy-nominated actor, producer and comedian, features in the creative, and Smirnoff is running custom ads tailored to each of its seven team partners.
• Smirnoff is also promoting its product around the coin tosses done to determine which team has possession of the ball at the start of games. During week one of the season, each time a coin toss comes up tails (or cocktails, as the brand terms it), 21 fans will win Smirnoff cocktails on game day for the entire season.

Dive Insight:

Smirnoff is putting a spotlight on football fan culture for its latest NFL play, including through a series of new ads that are specified to different team partners like the New York Jets. In one of the new commercials, Jets diehards at a tailgate tiptoe around saying the team could “win it all,” lest they jinx their Super Bowl chances.  

The campaign overall embraces a theme of luck by tying a prize giveaway to coin tosses, granting fans the chance to win a reward valued at $500. If all 16 coin tosses in week one land on tails, nearly $200,000 will be doled out by the Diageo brand.

Fans can participate in the contest via a microsite, and those who enter will receive $5 off their next Smirnoff order through Drizly, an offer that could help drive transactions around viewing occasions. A larger-than-life coin toss was also put on a digital billboard in Times Square ahead of the “Thursday Night Football” this week, with Anderson and NFL star Vernon Davis overseeing the interactive activation.

The coin toss concept is just one component of the “We Do Game Days” campaign, which, in turn, ties into a larger “We Do We” brand positioning from Smirnoff. Smirnoff introduced the colorful “We Do We” messaging in June in response to what it termed a “joy recession” that has left many consumers feeling alienated following years of strife. The strategy puts a strong focus on inclusivity and community connection, the latter emphasized here through the team-specific creative. 

To promote the football-centric leg of the effort, the company is running broadcast integrations, digital and social media content and promoting a partnership with FanDuel. Smirnoff is acting as the exclusive vodka sponsor for the sports-betting platform’s free-to-play branded contests for NFL Sunday Prime Time. Integrations include a custom Smirnoff No. 21 Cocktail Game Mode offering the chance to win cash prizes through the Super Bowl. The tie-up and larger campaign put a spotlight on the Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka product. 

Ever since Diageo became the first official spirits sponsor of the NFL two years ago, Smirnoff has made an effort to reach football fans. In January, the brand launched a cocktail coordinator position, and in 2022, put on a Super Bowl watch party for remote Alaskan miners.