Dive Brief:
- Diageo-owned Smirnoff Ice is urging fans to celebrate the Fourth of July by taking a five-day weekend, according to a news release. This year, the holiday falls on a Wednesday, which the brand calls "un-American."
- Smirnoff Ice is asking people to tag @SmirnoffUS on Facebook or Instagram and share how they would celebrate Independence Day if they had an extended weekend. The brand will then pay for 100 people to take off July 5 and 6.
- The campaign also features the tagline, "Dear America, Tell your boss you're taking a 5 day weekend for America." To celebrate the holiday, the brand is also bringing back its limited-edition Smirnoff Ice Red, White & Berry malt beverage flavor, which combines blue raspberry, cherry and citrus.
Dive Insight:
While marketers often incorporate patriotic themes into their Independence Day marketing, Smirnoff Ice is taking a more rebellious and comedic route, albeit through a sweepstakes that still requires getting bosses' permission to participate. With more than 2,000 Facebook comments and 9,700 views on Instagram at press time, the company has created a campaign that appears to resonate with consumers frustrated that the Fourth of July holiday falls in the middle of the week, which means many will have to return to work the next day after the festivities.
The effort fits in line with other efforts by Smirnoff that have focused on humor and commentary on American events. The company last year ran an out-of-home campaign that appeared to take a dig at President Trump and the ongoing investigation over his administration's alleged collusion with Russia. The ads included the tagline, "Made in America. But we'd be happy to talk about our ties to Russia under oath."
Other efforts from the brand have leaned heavily into progressive themes. Last week, Smirnoff brought back its "Love Wins" packaging to celebrate LGBTQ pride month. The company pledged to donate an additional $1 million to the Human Rights Campaign, which raises awareness about LGBTQ equality, and teamed up with Jonathan Van Ness from Netflix's hit "Queer Eye" for the NYC Pride March. The company also partnered with Spotify in March to launch the Smirnoff Equalizer, an API that promotes female musicians, and has been working to double the number of female music festival headliners by 2020.
