Ad Age expanded its “Creativity Top 5” series to include new roundups of our favorite special-interest campaigns and ideas from brands. This week, we look at some of the latest innovations in the food and beverage space. Visit our site each Thursday for a new list of niche campaigns from the past month, and catch up on all of our Top 5 rankings here.
5. White Claw crashes the spirits market
White Claw, the brand that dominates the malt-based seltzer world, has enlisted comic actor J.B. Smoove to promote its move into branded vodka and canned vodka soda cocktails. In one ad, Smoove takes a shot at market leader High Noon—and other players that don’t specify the brand of liquor used in their ready-to-drink cocktails. The campaign is from VCCP, Edelman and Hayworth. Kevin Brady, VP of marketing for White Claw, said the new vodka capitalizes on the recent federal ruling striking down a requirement that vodka be “without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color.”
Read also: SunnyD Vodka Seltzer draws fascination, scorn
“There’s a massive and growing demand for hard seltzer, the fastest category to scale since prohibition, and then there’s the U.S. vodka market, which was ripe for disruption,” Brady said in an email.