Both Absolut and Smirnoff have long, proud histories of supporting LGBTQ+ rights. To be a top vodka brand you have to be called “my brand” by a vast number of very different people. The diversity of their following matters to each.

In 1981, Absolut became the first mainstream brand to advertise in gay magazines. This year, Absolut agency, BBH, has created a two-minute film that emphasises Absolut’s heritage of LGBTQ+ support, with its 1962 soundtrack, There’s No Other by the Crystals, and a kissing relay using a wide range of people – one kiss shared by people of various shapes, sizes, colours, ages, walks of life and sexual identification.

The film was shot in Kiev in the Ukraine and directed by Somesuch’s Aoife McArdle. Supporting the campaign is a rainbow coloured special edition Absolut Original bottle. It is BBH’s first work for Absolut after winning the account in August last year.

Credits:
Agency: BBH London
Creative team: Felipe Guimaraes & Lambros Charalambous
Creative directors: Ian Heartfield, Paco Conde & Beto Fernandez
Deputy executive creative director: Ian Heartfield
Strategist: Raphael Bittner
Strategy director: Melanie Arrow
Senior account manager: Aymara Blanco
Account executive: Janki Shah
Producer: Victoria Keenan

Production Company: Somesuch
Director: Aoife McArdle
Executive producer: Lou Hake
Producer: James Waters
DoP: Tom Townend
Post Production: MPC
Editor/Editing House: Final Cut
Sound: String & Tins

Smirnoff’s Pride Month Promotions are built around personalised packaging. “When we stick together, Love Wins,” is the brand’s Pride Month motto and there are two personalised editions of Love Wins Smirnoff No. 21 bottles and cases this Pride Month, one from the UK and one from the US.

The US bottles bear an iridescent rainbow aesthetic and a new LGBTQ Smirnoff logo. No two are identical. Each bottle features different images of real people and their love for one another, created and photographed by San Francisco-based photographer, Sarah Deragon, who began the Identity Project, which examines how people define their gender and sexuality. The brand will also donate US$1 per bottle made, with a minimum of $260,000, to the HRC. The Smirnoff No. 21 Love Wins bottles are available in 750 ml and 1 litre bottles, comparatively priced with standard Smirnoff No. 21 vodka.

To personalise the campaign even more, Smirnoff is asking couples over the age of 25 to submit their photos to a microsite for the opportunity to be featured on the next bottle pack design in 2018. For every eligible photo submitted between May 23 and September 30, Smirnoff will donate an additional US$1 per photo to the HRC (up to $10,000).

In the UK, Love Wins was last year’s personalised bottle promotion. The 2017 promotion is called Choose Love and both were designed by Design Bridge. The 6 different Choose Love bottles – one in each colour of the Pride flag – were inspired by illustrator, Rob Bailey’s, Hey Man embrace image. Bailey worked with the studio to create six embracing couples with hidden details, such as tattoos and jewellery, to discover on each bottle. Much of the typography was hand-drawn by Design Bridge design director, Chloe Templeman, to give them a hand-made feel. Each was numbered, its wrap was given a special rainbow coloured seal, and its back-of-pack copy explains the meaning behind each of the Pride flag colours. The Snapchat ghost waves a rainbow Pride flag on the side of every bottle. Bottle owners snap the ghost and to unlock an exclusive Pride lens, to capture and share their own Pride celebrations on Snapchat.

The 2016 UK personalised bottles were also remarkable. These were inspired by Smirnoff’s Pride edition partner, BOB by Dawn O’Porter the fashion label whose Equality Collection celebrates sexual equality. Each of its 500 Love Wins bottles was a one-off, and celebrated a unique relationship.

Using the LGBTQ+ rainbow colour palette, and a BOB by DOP print originally created by illustrator, Karen Mabon, as its starting point, the range featured a diverse range of couples from all walks of life. After each of the 500 bottles had been specially shrink-wrapped in its rainbow-colour base, the Smirnoff “eyebrow” label, couple illustration, and fabric label, on which Smirnoff’s Love Wins affirmation was written, were all added by hand. Sales of this edition supported the RUComingOut charity.