Smirnoff has launched a limited edition ready-to-drink (RTD) flavour – Smirnoff Ice Lavender Lemonade in a bid to tap into the current wave of Taylor Swift fever.
The drink is a nod to Swift’s song Lavender Haze from her Grammy-award winning album, Midnights, as well as her record-breaking The Eras Tour, which arrives in Australia this month.
Smirnoff is positioning the drink, which features a citrus flavour, while the bottle has a cloudy lavender colouring as a fun beverage to mimic the energy and excitement that festivals evoke for music lovers.
The move follows the recent activation by Campari Australia, media agency Mindshare, and Blobfish International that similarly aims to cut through Melbourne’s busy summer tourist season with the Aperol gondola experience, bringing it back to the Yarra River for the second consecutive year.
Blobfish has wrapped 14 self-skippered boats and one skippered boat in Aperol’s signature orange, that likewise to Smirnoff, looks to capitalise on the beverage’s reputation as a popular summer beverage while, in this case, also paying homage to the aperitif’s Italian heritage.
See also: The Aperol gondola returns to Melbourne’s Yarra River via Blobfish and Mindshare
Smirnoff marketing manager Maddy Stockwell said, “With the colour purple having its moment, we’re leaning into our lavender era with the launch of Smirnoff Lavender Lemonade, creating a new taste that sparks excitement.
“Smirnoff lives and breathes music, so when we saw the line-up of incredible musicians and artists making their way to Aussie stages this year, we knew we had to get ready for it.”
It comes as the Taylor Swift effect reaches mass saturation due to wild speculation about an appearance at the Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas this weekend.
Mediaweek has previously reported on the impact Swift’s big-spending fans have made on the American Football market since beginning her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
While many are quick to be pessimistic about Swift, Kate O’Loughlin, associate strategy director at Initiative and proud Swiftie, told Mediaweek that there is no doubt the Grammy winner will significantly impact this year’s Super Bowl.