Smirnoff contest solicits pitches to bring Fourth of July parties to life

Dive Brief:

Diageo's Smirnoff vodka brand launched a campaign asking fans to submit their most exciting ideas for celebrating the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, according to a news release shared with Marketing Dive.
The "Smirnoff Party Pitch" campaign promotes the return of Smirnoff Red, White & Berry in April. It features a panel including LGBTQ reality TV star Alyssa Edwards, comedian and actor Nicole Byer, reality TV star and real estate mogul Ryan Serhant and digital creator and host Megan Batoon.
Fans age 25 and older can submit their party pitches online, explaining in videos how they plan to serve Smirnoff Red, White & Berry at their upcoming parties for the American holiday. Four finalists will get the chance to bring their ideas to life, with the panel selecting one grand prize winner to receive a special celebration created by Smirnoff. Three runners-up will receive $2,500 each and brand swag for their own summer parties. Smirnoff will share videos from the pitches, the panel review and final party on YouTube leading up to the Fourth of July to extend the campaign's reach online.

Dive Insight:

Smirnoff is taking an experience-driven approach to its summer marketing campaign for the relaunch of the Red, White & Berry product. The campaign strives to bring people together and celebrate the patriotic holiday in unique ways. Asking for fan ideas for the perfect party could attract social media attention and help the brand capture details about its consumer base. The creative could resonate with younger crowds, who tend to drink more spirits than older age groups, prefer experience-focused purchases and appreciate opportunities to share their ideas and opinions with brands — especially when there's the potential to win a party of their dreams.

The vodka brand similarly unveiled an interactive, crowdsourced campaign for its Fourth of July push last year, which also involved a promotion for Smirnoff Red, White & Berry. Because the holiday fell on a Wednesday, Smirnoff urged fans to celebrate by taking a five-day weekend. The brand asked people to share on social media how they would spend the holiday if they had five days off from work and paid for 100 people to take off on July 5 and 6.

This year's effort is the latest extension of Smirnoff's "Welcome to the Fun%" campaign, which the brand debuted last summer to highlight its commitment to diversity, inclusivity, affordability and accessibility. Smirnoff continues to feature a diverse cast in the different iterations of the marketing campaign, something consumers continue to respond positively to. Previously, Smirnoff teamed up with actors Jenna Fischer, Ted Danson and "Queer Eye" TV star Jonathan Van Ness to announce that its base vodka Smirnoff No. 21 would be made with non-GMO grain.

Continuing to feature a diverse cast in the campaign will likely help Smirnoff resonate with younger consumers, who expect brands to support their identities and values. Smirnoff also continues to court LGBTQ consumers, a group largely neglected by many brands. However, 35% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that include LGBTQ themes and people in their advertising, and base purchasing decisions of whether or not a brand is LGBTQ-friendly, according to INTO and Brand Innovators.