Diageo shifts Ketel One to Fig after review

Diageo has named Fig as the new global agency of record for Ketel One Vodka following a competitive review. The Diageo-owned premium vodka brand had previously been handled by Barton F. Graf in the U.S. Fig, the five-year-old New York-based agency formerly known as Figliulo & Partners, will create a new campaign set to debut this fall that will include TV, social, digital and events. It will include U.S. marketing. “The Nolet family make a vodka that’s the gold standard for taste and quality, and we needed an idea that would do it justice,” Scott Vitrone, a chief creative officer of Fig, said in a statement to Ad Age, referring to the Dutch family that founded the vodka brand. “We’ll create a world for the Ketel brand that feels completely new for the category as a whole.” Barton had picked up Ketel One in late 2016 after the brand had been at Grey. Barton in March confirmed to Ad Age that it laid off a significant number of staffers in the wake of client cutbacks. Barton won Ketel One around the time it picked up Diageo's Bulleit bourbon. A Diageo spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a question about the Bulleit account. Ketel One has enjoyed recent momentum, fueled by its new “Botanical” variety, which has less alcohol than other vodkas and comes in flavors such as cucumber and mint and peach and orange blossom. Ketel grew sales by 22 percent in North America in the six months ending Dec. 31, the company reported. Executives have credited the Botanical variety for luring drinkers from outside of the spirits category. “The great news is that the data suggest there’s very little cannibalization and that the Botanicals are recruiting consumers from white wine,” Diageo North America president Deirdre Mahlan recently stated, according to a report from Shanken News Daily, a liquor trade publication. Contributing: Ann-Christine Diaz

Diageo shifts Ketel One to Fig after review

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