{"id":2726,"date":"2023-07-31T19:12:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T19:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allisonworldwide.com\/?p=2726"},"modified":"2023-09-20T15:07:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T15:07:18","slug":"the-love-triangle-how-celebrity-spirits-brands-align-values-in-3-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allisonworldwide.com\/the-love-triangle-how-celebrity-spirits-brands-align-values-in-3-ways\/","title":{"rendered":"The Love Triangle: How Celebrity Spirits Brands Align Values in Three Ways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Sears and Jennifer Yellin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel like every time I see a new celebrity\u2019s marketing scheme pop up in the headlines, my first reaction is skepticism\u2026 \u201cStay in your lane \u2013 focus on making movies.\u201d But I should give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, some celebrity-driven brands have real staying power. I recently had a conversation with a close colleague \u2013 Jennifer Yellin, senior vice president & U.S. managing director at our sister-Stagwell agency, HarrisX (previously Northstar Research Partners) \u2013 and we realized celebrity-owned spirits brands have really exploded the past few years. From George Clooney\u2019s Casamigos tequila to Bob Dylan\u2019s Heaven\u2019s Door whiskey, dozens of new entrants have crowded the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We discussed what differentiates a celebrity spirit brand with true staying-power from something that proves to just be a flash in the pan. We agreed successful brands win with a \u201clove triangle\u201d \u2013 authentic three-way values alignment between celebrity, product and consumer. Let\u2019s look at a few brands that successfully, and some less successfully, connected all three dots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps to set the table, we should start with a fail. This one has received significant coverage and can be found in nearly every list of failed celebrity alcohol beverage collaborations: Mariah Carey\u2019s 2010 misadventure with Angel Champagne. At first blush (pun intended), this seems like it could be a great premise \u2013 the \u201cSongbird Supreme\u201d who is known for her glitzy and glamorous lifestyle. Champagne and glamor \u2013 a perfect fit, right?. Yet she\u2019s on record saying she doesn\u2019t even consume the category because it hurts her throat. Priced at $1,500 a bottle yet receiving mostly awful reviews, the brand barely treaded water until it eventually just quietly disappeared into the night. Beyond a few interviews and having her initials in the product name, she appears to have been nearly absent from any marketing. Maybe for the best, given that she wouldn\u2019t even drink it herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, many celebrity-spirits have been wildly successful. Take Aviation Gin. Ryan Reynolds acquired a stake in 2018 and then sold to Diageo in 2020. Of course everything Ryan Reynolds touches turns to gold, from \u201cDeadpool” to AFC Wrexham. Spirits should be no exception. First off, he didn\u2019t just invest. He also jumped right in as spokesperson, allowing him to bring his debonair-everyman vibe and effortless wit into the marketing. On the homepage, he says: \u201cI\u2019ve tried every gin on the planet and Aviation is, hands-down, the best.\u201d His own creative agency, Maximum Effort, makes the advertising. And he handles the product placement. Aviation Gin showed up in \u201cDeadpool 2,\u201d and his soccer team wears the patch on its kit. It helps that the product is good \u2013 consumer reviews have been reliably strong across Drizly and other points of sale. And I like it too, so that counts for something right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The magic is in the values-alignment. Reynolds infuses his brand into the product like so much juniper and cardamom. Watching \u201cWelcome to Wrexham\u201d on Hulu, it\u2019s amazing to see how many football fans appreciate his approachably hilarious comedic sensibilities \u2013 truly a superhero for the rest of us. That same vibe translates directly into the product brand. The website is full of vignettes bringing the story to life, while the social team extends it with employee stories, ingredients and recipes. Contagious highlighted that in just two years, Aviation increased sales 540% and doubled revenue, contributing to category sales growth and leading to a mid-nine-figures sale to Diageo in 2020. From unknown to unstoppable, the love triangle helped make Aviation a market leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, Cardi B recently struck a chord with Whipshots, a vodka-infused non-dairy whip cream. At launch Cardi B said: \u201cWhipshots matches my style \u2013 over the top, sexy, unique\u2026 Whipshots is Cardi in a can.\u201d At launch in 2021, the first e-commerce orders sold out in minutes.  Within a year, PR Newswire reported the brand had shipped more than 60,000 cases to 10,000 retailers in 23 states. Promotional videos on Cardi B\u2019s TikTok garnered tens of millions of views, igniting and connecting the passion points between the musician, the product and the consumer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Jennifer and I prepare to launch our own acting careers (Jennifer: \u201cI\u2019ll stick with stand-up comedy!\u201d), we dream of successful spirits launches as well. Our eyes are now on Brad Pitt,  who debuted his new The Gardener gin at Cannes. Pitt\u2019s big-name master distiller also manages two of his wineries. Will \u201ctrue, bold, unexpected\u201d French Riviera Gin evoke the same feels we got watching Benjamin Button or Moneyball? Or will it leave us with a taste we just don\u2019t recognize? Time will tell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we design and build brands at Allison+Partners and HarrisX, we\u2019re obsessed with the love triangle. Together we developed V.I.T.A.L. \u2013 a framework to bring customer values directly into the brand strategy and marketing plan. The \u201cA\u201d in that acronym stands for \u201cAlignment\u201d \u2013  the ability for the market to see their own values in the brand\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the alignment between brands and consumers is central to building a strong brand, whether it\u2019s owned by a celebrity or by shareholders. It\u2019s crucial that the end customer\u2019s goals, aspirations and values are reflected in every decision the brand makes: from products and packaging, to partnerships and promotion. We\u2019re certainly no Ryan Reynolds, but we know that closely studying the intimate relationships between consumers and the brands they love ultimately allows those values to be much better aligned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about our Brand + Engagement Strategy: https:\/\/allisonbrand.agency<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Sears is Managing Director, Brand & Engagement Strategy.\u202fWith 20 years in advertising, brand and marketing strategy, Paul spends his time helping clients sharpen their strategic focus \u2013 at the brand level or for individual products and campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Yellin is SVP & Managing Director, US HarrisX\/Northstar.  Jennifer has nearly 25 years supporting clients with strategic marketing research insights, conducting both qualitative and quantitative research to better understand the drivers of consumer choice and behavior.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paul Sears and Jennifer Yellin I feel like every time I see a new celebrity\u2019s marketing scheme pop up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":2735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlignment of Celebrity Spirits Brands - Allison<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how celebrity spirits brands create value alignment in 3 ways. Explore the success stories and lessons learned. 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