APEX Awards 2016 - 1818: Lighting Up Moments to Ignite Sales

Smirnoff 1818: How 'Light Up the Moment' transformed a vodka brand to rival the South African beer market. In 2012 Smirnoff 1818 had reached a volume ceiling; trading purely on price within the white spirits category. Brandhouse approached J Walter Thompson to reposition the brand against a shifting South African consumer landscape and expand its potential while sourcing volume from the hugely dominant mainstream beer drinking ritual. An idea was born out of the insight that the brand needed to deeply connect to the hearts and minds of both older, traditional loyalists and a younger, more aspirational set. An idea that harnessed the power and raw appeal of vodka consumed in social occasions. This allowed us to step more provocatively into beer drinking occasions.

Light up the Moment came to life in a world-class, fully integrated national campaign that launched in November 2013 with a bold new TV commercial that lead equity building and a novel, owned mobile participation platform that lead engagement.
Supporting initiatives included tactical executions on radio and in the press to drive awareness and call to action.
The second phase of the campaign rolled out around the Smirnoff 1818 label redesign with TV and activation support in taverns.
Light Up the Moment worked effectively over 18 months to take Smirnoff 1818 to power brand status and even greater volume heights.
Over the longer term the campaign has continued to build ever-increasing scale into the brand.
For Brandhouse it has delivered a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour to deliver volume growth.

Read here for more on the 2016 APEX award winners.