Best consumer marketing awareness campaign - vodka: Russian Standard

27 August, 2008
Page 40 
The vodka brand launched in 1998 by billionaire entrepreneur Roustam Tariko certainly appears to have the might of the Russian government behind it. "Russian Standard cannot be compared to anything else - it is simply unbeatable," said Yuri Ushakov, ambassador of the Russian Federation to the US, at the April US launch of Russian Standard Original at the Russian Embassy in Washington DC. "What is special about it is its Russian spirit and Russian taste. This is indeed the best vodka in the world," he added.

In June came the announcement of the Pure Russian advertising campaign in the US, with its tagline claim The No1 Premium Vodka in Russia pitting it directly, and aggressively, against rival Stolichnaya's Choose Authenticity campaign.

A clutch of international launches followed. Russian Standard Platinum was launched in India in August; October saw the full Russian Standard portfolio rolled out in the UK and France, a listing with state monopoly Alko in Finland and a launch in Slovenia. Russian Standard products are now available in more than 40 markets.

October also saw the launch of an international TV ad campaign comprising six mini-films directed by Michael Haussman. In the same month the brand embarked on a major nightlife event promotion across Germany, featuring music events scheduled to reach 10,000 club-goers across 10 German cities, and including headline sponsorship of the 2007 GQ Men of the Year awards in Munich.

Digital Edition

Drinks International digital edition is available ahead of the printed magazine. Don’t miss out, make sure you subscribe today to access the digital edition and all archived editions of Drinks International as part of your subscription.

Comment

La'Mel Clarke

Service isn’t servitude: the skill of hosting

La’Mel Clarke, front of house at London’s Seed Library, looks at the forgotten art of hosting and why it deserves the same respect as bartending.

Instagram

Facebook