In 1999, Smirnoff created the flavored malt beverage (FMB) category, giving people a delicious alternative to beer by introducing Smirnoff ICE. Fast forward to 2023 and a lot had happened in between, but most importantly the recent plateau in the hard seltzer boom revealed the direction of alcohol’s next category darling, the resurgence of an old friend, FMB’s. With the category poised for growth, Smirnoff ICE needed to assert its OG authority amongst mainstay competitors and trendy newcomers alike. The brief was to develop an original earned media driven idea to propel the re-imagined brand into culture. The campaign's objective was to recruit multicultural drinks driving awareness and trial by becoming relevant with a new generation (21-29yo) while maintaining growth among loyal consumers (30-40yo).

Nostalgic obsession is about more than a throwback, it’s about how nostalgic experiences can shape the vibes of the future. In constant search of inspiration, people flock to social media, TV, movies, and music. It turns out, musical taste isn’t cemented by birth year, it’s fueled by hyper-discovery bringing nostalgic fun into a modern future. In fact, 60% of adults (80% of Gen Z) feel like they were born in the wrong era because of their taste in music.

So we created the Smirnoff ICE Relaunch Tour, a 7 city concert tour featuring performances by the most epic music artists — from mainstay legends to music’s new and freshest faces. A celebration of old and new embodying the energy of an era. Smirnoff ICE brought nostalgic gems, modern serves, and iconic surprises to entertain audiences across the US. And of course, plenty of Smirnoff ICE was raised in the air.

Nostalgia isn’t just a throwback, it’s a lens that shapes the experience of the future. Smirnoff ICE aimed to introduce a new generation of consumers to the brand by debuting a new look and a nationwide ad campaign. But to breakthrough in culture and get people talking about Smirnoff ICE, they needed to take their brand on the road in order to take people alllll the way back, harnessing the energy of an iconic era as only an OG could. Our strategy was to show that classics never fade, they only get better. By connecting the past to the present, we didn’t just throw it back, we relaunched Smirnoff ICE into their next era.

The Smirnoff ICE Relaunch tour didn't stop at music. Alongside epic performances concert goers were delighted by old school TV installations, nostalgic arcade games, throwback snacks, a bedazzled slushie machine, and even a custom ICE luge. People copped limited edition Y2K inspired merch from cult LA based streetwear brand MARKET. But we weren’t just throwing it back, we made sure to pay it forward by partnering with Women in Music to donate the proceeds of all ticket sales ensuring the future of up and coming artists. The tour drove local impact in 7 key markets throughout the summer promoting ticket sales via custom posters seeded with local media, OOH placements, and targeted social ads to drive attendance. Earned media coverage and social content from the brand and influencers brought the excitement of local experiences to a national audience.

A massive 3.4B earned impressions via 1.4K earned placements from top tier national media, e.g. Variety, US Weekly, People, iHeart Radio, and Page Six to name just a few.

15.7M social impressions, including 360+ added value posts from talent and influencers in attendance equaling an estimated $500K in free media value.

Nearly 3,000 guests toasted with more than 8,000 drinks in hand.

All resulting in +3.7% increase in sales YoY for Smirnoff ICE