Smirnoff Celebrates Diversity and Immigrants in Canadian Campaign

Brand Urges People to 'Stay Open' in Campaign by 72andSunny N.Y

Published On
Oct 16, 2017

Editor's Pick

As Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving and prepare for the holiday season, Smirnoff has kicked off a new campaign positioning the country as a global leader in inclusivity and diversity, and celebrating immigration.

The campaign, by 72andSunny New York, carries the tagline "Stay Open" and features immigrants, both recent arrivals and third generation, speaking about how welcoming and diverse Canada is. The film, directed by Eliot Rausch at Stink, also shows a transvestite man, who describes how people approached him when we went on the subway in drag, but only to take a photo because he "loooked beautiful."

"Globally, Smirnoff stands for inclusive good times, but nowhere in the world do we see that come to life like in Canada," said Mark Phillips, brand leader, Smirnoff Canada, in a statement. "These core values are ingrained in the lives of Canadians, and Smirnoff believes they always deserve to be celebrated, even though Canadians have been historically humble in their assertion of them. Smirnoff is on a mission to promote inclusivity through the power of good times."

In a post-Trump and Brexit era, Diageo-owned Smirnoff is one of a number of brands to focus on the benefits of immigration recently--including Budweiser, which produced a branded content documentary focusing on the contribution immigrants make in the Northwest U.S, Tullamore Dew and the U.K.'s Jigsaw.

In its work with 72andSunny, it seems Smirnoff hasn't been afraid to tap into hot-button issues. This past summer, Smirnoff and the agency poked fun at President Trump in an outdoor ad in which the American-made brand said it would be happy to talk about its ties to Russia, under oath.

The Canadian film will be followed by digital and out-of-home media placements later this month.

Credits

Date
Oct 16, 2017
Brand :
Smirnoff
Client :
Smirnoff
Agency :
72andSunny-New York
Vice President :
Jay Sethi
Vice President, Global Content Communications :
Luke Atkinson
Brand Manager :
Mark Phillips
Director, Strategy :
Andrew Knight
Executive Creative Director :
Bryan Rowles
Creative Director :
David Goss
Creative Director :
Mikio Bradley
Senior Writer :
Peter Hughes
Senior Designer :
Geno Burmester
Head of Production :
Lora Schulson
Senior Producer :
Zamile Vilakazi
Producer :
Yaya Zhang
Group Brand Director :
Karla Stewart
Brand Director :
Emily Hoyle
Brand Manager :
Evyn Staley
Executive Strategy Director :
Tim Jones
Director, Strategy :
Tom Callard
Strategist :
Neha Bhatia
Partnerships and Legal Director :
Denice Heyward
Senior Partnerships and Legal Manager :
Quentin Perry
Partnerships and Legal Manager :
Rich Sica
Production :
Stink
Director :
Eliot Rausch
Managing Director :
Jeff Baron
Executive Producer :
Fran McGivern
Producer :
Erin Wile
Producer :
Heinrich Beisheim
Director, Photography :
Jeff Melanson
Editorial :
Exile
Editor :
Max Koepke
Assistant Editor :
Mitch Goldberg
Executive Producer :
Sasha Hirschfeld
Senior Producer :
Evyn Bruce
Finishing/Visual Effects :
Exile
Senior Producer :
Stephanie Katritos
Flame Artist :
Joey Deady
Flame Assistant :
Adam Greenberg
Color :
CO3
Colorist :
Tom Poole
Color Assistant :
Jenny Montgomery
Executive Producer :
Ashley McKim
Color Producer :
Alexandra Lubrano
Mix :
Heard City
Audio Mixer :
Mike Vitacco
Audio Producer :
Andi Lewis
Audio Executive Producer :
Sasha Awn
Music :
Human Music
Head of Production :
Nick Fuller

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