Smirnoff Throws A Partay

The video
The site


Stats:
Viewed 974,000 times on YouTube, since August 02, 2006
Cost of video: $200k


Description:
A viral video which has become an overnight success on YouTube. This is in fact viral advertising for Smirnoff Raw Tea, a new product launch. The video from Smirnoff's agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty was directed by music video veteran Julien Christian Lutz of HSI Production. In the past few days, this video has garnered mainstream press coverage including stories on CNN. The 2:15 spot is a like a shrunken rap video featuring preppies instead of rappers. They talk about their life and lifestyle and make a soft pitch for Smirnoff Raw Tea.

What Works:
Viral video, particularly the emerging YouTube variety, is a tricky game. Promoting a brand this way can backfire easily. If you push the brand too hard, users will reject it as overtly commercial. On the other hand, hiding the brand too carefully and you will be accused of deception. Tonality is also very difficult as YouTube is a democratic system and the standard 'advertising as a committee decision' product rarely rises to the level of quality and quirkiness that viral video demands.

(My two cents: It is such a fine balancing act but I don't think there was enough brand mention or graphic treatment in establishing a new brand to create a lasting impression on the general consumer. Smirnoff alone unlike Absolut doesnt have enough of a strong brand presence for me. My brain in search of recognition for Smirnoff looked for them in the cheap Vodka genre, with the likes of Georgi Vodka. But when Smirnoff is associated with Smirnoff Ice, they gain their street cred back. I think they need to fly their flag a lot higher and stronger or even say from the makers of, " Smirnoff Ice."

Lastly when I look at the bottle label I would love to see some graphic treatment associated with the theme of the video or site. Imagining it on the shelf amongst the other alcoholic beverages, the label has no personality or positioning. Even a hint of some bling or attitude would go along way for me.

Smirnoff and BBH have hit the mark with this spot, however, by embracing Ice Tea's geekiness instead of trying to run away from it. Improperly launched, alcoholic ice tea would probably have all the appeal of a lime wine coolers. By confronting ice tea's prissy image head-on, Smirnoff gives this new product a fighting chance. Consumers reward brands which are comfortable enough to make fun of themselves when the result is actually funny.)

What Doesn't:
The BBH video leaves the new brand with a perilously thin brand positioning which will need to be maintained for Smirnoff Raw Tea to have a shot at succeeding. The brand positioning here is based on the ultra-preppy, perhaps more of a mythical creature than a real demographic group. The user imagery is distinct and ownable. The product underlying the brand makes sense for this user and the effect should be to give the brand expertise which will make it appeal to a much broader audience. To make this work, Smirnoff has to play the risky game of truly embracing these absurd preppies and committing to them for the long-term, not just as a one-off stunt.


Viral Lesson
Though, the video went live on August 2nd, their site www.teapartay.com didnt go live till the 3rd week in August. A common viewer comment was : "The one thing that really disappointed me was the payoff. I went to http://www.teapartay.com as requested to do at the end of the video and found nothing other than a "coming soon" message. Bottom line they didnt think about about ways to leverage the fans of teapartay before going live.

Tom Ajello, Agency.com( C.D. of the famed Subway Pitch) says, "With viral, the thing you are building is actually never just about the video, game, blog, etc. at all--it is about the reaction and content that the seed catalyzes. Many marketers aren't prepared to act and react real-time according to what their target users generate. If you're not fast, you'll create great "seed buzz," but miss an opportunity in consumer-generated-content land. But then again, we're talking about this right now, so that's a success in itself," he concluded.

(My 2 cents: I wish the site had more sustenance and spoke about the product more. I feel like they threw this great party for this celebrant, but then they don't let you get to know her. I also think this would have been a great opportunity to start a conversation by asking questions like do I have my own recipes to make my own Smirnoff spiked iced tea.

via:thirdwayblog.com