2009 Ex Award Winners: Best Mobile Marketing Program (B-to-B) - Ex Award

Ex Award
Campaign: Infusions Tour
Client: Skyy Spirits
Agency: Pierce

Some b-to-b programs get stuck in a rut relying on PowerPoint presentations sit-down dinners and old-school collateral to “excite” customers about its products. Not this program.

To prove its 100-percent real fruit Infusions vodkas are the best-tasting flavored vodkas on the market Skyy executed a mobile tour that seamlessly combined the best elements of a consumer program—immersive product experiences and upbeat one-on-one moments—with a solid strategic foundation that drove trial increased awareness and built relationships with key partners.

On April 1 the Skyy Infusions Go Natural campaign—the biggest launch in the brand’s 16-year history—hit the streets of San Francisco in a branded Airstream. The rig featured an interior lounge for educational sessions and a fully staffed VIP deck on the roof where the brand hosted on- and off-premise samplings bartender education events and trade functions. Distributors retailers bartenders and the press were invited to try one of Skyy’s fruity flavors (citrus cherry passion fruit raspberry and grape) and pit it against a competitor’s vodka. In cities where alcohol couldn’t be served the staff distributed branded non-alcoholic passion fruit-flavored tasting strips.

The exterior of the Airstream was wrapped with brightly colored graphics and eye-catching fruit imagery. Inside video presentations reinforced the message offering a sneak peek at how Infusions are made and featuring testimonials from peers. The interior lounge featured modern wood and sleek steel elements offset by an unexpected faux green grass carpet. Brand ambassadors wore Pucci-inspired dresses with bold vivid colors that tied back to the fruit-flavored theme.

“The Airstream was our mobile ambassador for the new brand and really connected visually and matched the product perfectly in terms of style ” says Jason Daniel senior brand manager for Skyy Vodka. “I think the mobile marketing tour was a key element in not only increasing awareness for the new brand but also increasing sell-in with stores bars and restaurants as it gave us the opportunity to really deliver the brand messages in a unique fun and on-strategy way.”

The tour traveled to 18 markets including Atlanta Boston Chicago Cleveland and New York before it wrapped up May 31 in Miami. It visited 51 on-premise retail accounts six distributors 49 off-premise retail accounts and 10 special events. In addition to educating and creating excitement among its b-to-b target audience Skyy’s tour earned 2 630 107 total impressions and exceeded its goal for case orders. We raise our martini glass to Pierce for pulling the program together in less than a month.