Smirnoff’s global ‘We Do We’ campaign was crafted to reignite social connections and bring people together in the spirit of belonging. A year after its launch, it needed a fresh injection of culture and energy to appeal to a new audience.
Smirnoff’s objectives were clear: the campaign needed to turn heads, break through the noise and be brought to life at scale. The brand wanted to join forces with someone at the beating heart of culture… a partner who embodies everything Smirnoff stands for – fun, inclusivity and joy.
Like every project, we approached it through the lens of our Cultural Endurance Model™, a strategy that ensures our work endures over time. So in Smirnoff’s case, that meant the work had to build on Smirnoff’s 100+ year legacy, create long-lasting connections, and reflect the brand’s core values and identity. In an era of short-termism, this is about creating long-term value for the brand – not flashbulb fame.
With the insights in place – and hot off the back of his SWEAT tour with the queen of BRAT summer herself, Charli xcx – Smirnoff appointed Troye Sivan as its global Chief Vibes Officer (CVO). In a social-first approach, the brand dropped the news in the form of a tongue-in-cheek press conference, with the new CVO outlining his mission to bring people together, have fun and ‘Go OFF’ (because when it comes to Smirnoff, ‘OFF’ is in the name)!
With just six weeks from ideation to content capture, and 12 weeks for production and execution, the project was fast and furious. It was our role to lead the charge across a mammoth group comprising a global client team plus numerous talent, creative and social agencies.
We also planned and executed the global PR campaign – crafting all written comms and managing all brand and talent approvals to land 1.4+k pieces of coverage in publications like Dazed, Billboard, Hypebeast, Variety and Elle. Plus, we secured profiling opportunities for Smirnoff with the likes of AdAge, ADWEEK and Campaign.
The success of this relationship lay in the power of authenticity – by delivering a mix of light-hearted lo-fi and glossy content, Smirnoff was able to build genuine connections with its audience.
To put the success in numbers, the activity ended up smashing all global KPIs to deliver Smirnoff’s biggest launch in recent history – the campaign’s social posts alone have been the brand’s best-performing to date, commanding over two million views.
But the fun didn’t stop there. Post-launch, Smirnoff teamed up with Troye to sponsor his 10+ date homecoming tour across Australia and New Zealand – creating bespoke after-parties, serves and moments all aimed at bringing people together to have fun and Go ‘OFF’.
It marks the beginning of an exciting and highly anticipated multi-year partnership – and we can’t wait to see what’s next. Cheers to that!
*Legally we have to say that ‘Chief Vibes Officer’ is not a real title and is used solely for promotional purposes. (Please don’t tell Troye…)
