Press Releases
Pernod Ricard USA to Launch New Ad Campaign for Stolichnaya Vodka
Multi-Million Dollar Effort Highlights Stoli’s Authentic Russian Heritage
Purchase, N.Y., April 9, 2007 – Pernod Ricard USA, a leading producer, importer and marketer of premium spirits and wines in the United States, and Stolichnaya, the iconic, genuine Russian vodka, today announced the U.S. launch of a new, multi-million dollar advertising campaign for the Stoli family of vodkas that reminds consumers to “Choose Authenticity.”
Created together with Pernod Ricard’s London-based Stolichnaya Brand Organization Ltd. and Marcel Republique, an award-winning, Paris-based boutique advertising agency owned by Publicis Groupe, the new campaign is the first-ever global effort for Stolichnaya.
“Stolichnaya is the best-known Russian brand in the Western World, with a legendary history and a pioneering spirit no other vodka brand can claim,” said Patrick Piana, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Pernod Ricard USA. “Since it became the first branded vodka to be exported from Russia over half a century ago, Stolichnaya has been the world’s favorite Russian vodka, and the epitome of tradition and style, with both balance and character. Now, by highlighting the brand’s authentic heritage in a relevant, motivating way, we expect to further increase the momentum behind this true icon.”
Set to debut in the May issues of such leading U.S. magazines as Rolling Stone, In Style and GQ, the new campaign’s visual style is based on a Russian artistic movement called “constructivism,” which celebrated the bold, strong, industrial structures of the early 20th century, when Stolichnaya was created. The campaign will feature positive Russian icons, a proud tone and witty delivery, as indicated by one of the first ad execution’s headlines, “The Mother of all Vodkas, from the Motherland of Vodka."
Howard Southern, Vice President, Marketing, Stolichnaya Brand Organization, said the development of the new campaign for the third biggest global vodka brand was driven by research that produced two key findings: first, that Stoli’s remarkable history hasn’t been fully told; and second, that authenticity is an extremely important consideration in the purchasing decisions of today’s sophisticated, young adult consumers.
Stolichnaya’s smoothness and character stems from its crafting in one of the most fertile regions in the world, the Black Earth Region of Russia, where the wheat and rye is mostly grown and harvested directly by the distillery in Tambov, a picturesque, provincial town about 320 miles southeast of Moscow.
The new campaign is Pernod Ricard’s first major effort behind Stolichnaya, which acquired the marketing and distribution rights for Stoli in the U.S. and selected other countries in 2006. Said Piana: “Pernod Ricard has consistently demonstrated its ability to drive brands to achieve their potential, and we are confident that this new Stolichnaya campaign will resonate with the brand’s core consumers and build on our overall track record of success.”
About Stolichnaya Russian Vodka
Stolichnaya is the authentic pioneering vodka from Russia. Meaning “from the capital” in Russian, Stolichnaya has its origins in the 1901 opening of Moscow State Wine Warehouse No. 1, a distillery that was part of Russian authorities’ efforts to convince Russians to drink a higher standard of vodka. The building featured on the brand’s iconic label is the Hotel Moskva, a classic constructivist building designed in 1932 and erected in the centre of Moscow near the Kremlin Walls. The bar on the top floor was the preferred haunt of politicians, visiting dignitaries and foreign spies alike. The current label, designed by a famous constructivist artist Andrey Borisovich Johanson, was chosen though a national state competition in 1953.
In the 1970s, Stolichnaya was part of developing trade between the USSR and the U.S. when a deal was signed to exchange Stolichnaya for Pepsi. Competition turned to cooperation in 1975, when the two nations suspended their space race and held a landmark joint mission, the Apollo/Soyuz flight. To celebrate this momentous meeting in space, Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov toasted with American astronaut David Scott using Stolichnaya-labelled liquid tubes.
Stolichnaya was the first to export branded Russian flavored vodka in the 1970s (commissioned by no less than then Russian President Nikita Kruschev), and the brand today has one of the leading flavor portfolios in the U.S., with the recent launch of Stoli Blueberi successfully continuing its pioneering tradition. Stolichnaya also was the first to introduce super-premium vodka (in 1989) with Gold, which was launched at a party for the Soviet Mission to the United Nations. Stolichnaya was again the first to introduce ultra-premium vodka with Stolichnaya elit, which recently won the platinum award (with a record-breaking 97 points) from the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute, officially making elit the “world’s best tasting vodka.”
About Pernod Ricard USA
Pernod Ricard USA, based in Purchase, N.Y., is a leading producer, importer and marketer of prized spirits and wine brands in the United States and is one of the fastest growing subsidiaries of the world’s #2 spirits company and #4 wine company, Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard, S.A. The completion of Pernod Ricard’s acquisition of Allied Domecq in 2005 vaulted Pernod Ricard USA to the forefront of the U.S. spirits market, doubling the company’s sales value and market share. The company is now the third largest in the U.S. spirits industry by sales value and the fifth largest by sales volume in the U.S.
Pernod Ricard USA’s leading brands include Kahlúa® Liqueur, Chivas Regal® Scotch Whisky, Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin®, Malibu® flavored Rum, Stolichnaya® Vodkas, Jameson® Irish Whiskey, The Glenlivet® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Wild Turkey® Bourbon, Beefeater® Gin, Hiram Walker™ Liqueurs and Martell™ Cognac, as well as Jacob's Creek® and Brancott Estate® wines, Perrier Jouët® Champagne, Mumm® Champagne and Mumm Napa™ wines, and Pernod® and Ricard® Liquors. Enjoy Pernod Ricard’s brands responsibly and in moderation.
About Russian Constructivism
Constructivism, a form of abstract art, was founded by Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko in Russia around 1915. The constructivists believed art should directly reflect the modern industrial world in the form of unparalleled practicality; they wanted an art that was direct and democratic, one that was “out with the subtle and the obscure from decadent Europe, and in with the crisp geometric forms that could be instantly grasped by the people.” These revolutionary artists wanted to break down the barriers between art and popular culture. Advertising posters were as important as political ones, with commercial advertising used to promote the latest state-run products. “We created a new understanding of beauty and we extended the boundaries of art. We made posters, wrote slogans and decorated buildings,” said Rodchenko.