Rokk Vodka Teams Up With GLAAD

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced a yearlong partnership with Rokk vodka in which the Swedish brand will act as the presenting partner of the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards as well as have a strong presence  at the CineGLAAD panels at the Sundance Film Festival and at GLAAD's 25th anniversary events.

Rokk's first marketing efforts when it launched in the U.S. last year were aimed at the gay community in New York City, while it recently got into branded entertainment with its Lonely Island spoof ad (above) featuring SNL's Andy Samberg, so it seems it should be a partnership that everyone can be glad about.Continue reading...

Late last year marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie signed a one-year contract worth $100000 to endorse Johnnie Walker whiskey.

The Ethiopian 27-time world running champ doesn't mention the brand, which isn't shown, and doesn't take a drink in the spot (see a making of after the jump) — instead, in keeping with the Diageo-owned brand's other Walk With Giants profiles, he talks about what drives him to compete and excel.Continue reading...

Vodka has stepped out of Siberia and into the disco, reports OMMA magazine, which highlights Smirnoff (and its recently-wrapped global Nightlife Exchange Project), its Diageo sibling Ciroc, and the new Wódka vodka brand as brands getting their boogie on. (We'd add Britain's vodka vixens and Sweden's Kanon organic vodka to that list).

Besides music, art and alcohol are a natural fit. Absolut vodka has also partnered with New York artist Krink to create 15 individual custom-designed bottles using Krink's signature ink in black, white and silver.

Martell cognac also just collaborated with modern architect Jean Nouvel to create the Martell Amber Lamp, 50 of which will be produced and installed in venues such as art galleries around the globe.Continue reading...

Plenty of people were glad to see 2010 make its exit, but there does seem to be hope on the horizon for better times in 2011. Pernod Ricard, the maker of Absolut, Chivas Regal and Mumm Champagne, is feeling hopeful too, and what's good for the beverage giant is also good for others in the alcohol industry.

Pernod Ricard isn't out of the woods yet regarding the heavy debt burden that it took on when it bought Absolut two years ago for €5.6 billion ($7.34 billion) at the peak of the market.Continue reading...

Coors Light is offering Super Bowl fans a way to get to the game through their mobile phones — and an interactive version of its logo.

The beer brand's "Snap. Send. Score" promotion, running through Feb. 6, encourages fans to take photos of SnapTag logos with a smartphone and send them in to have a chance at winning prizes, including a deluxe trip to the game.

They can be found on Coors Light and Coors Banquet packaging as well as billboards, online and in stores. The grand prize awards one winner and three friends roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations in north Texas, tickets to the game, a stadium tour, a picture holding the Lombardi Trophy and tickets to the Coors Light Super Bowl Party at Billy Bob’s Texas.

Two first prize winners will win a trip to north Texas, tickets to Super Bowl XLV, access to the Coors Light Super Bowl Party and more. Other prizes include a football signed by the Super Bowl XLV champions; autographed, game-used items such as end zone pylons, kicking tees and footballs; actual patches of game-used turf; official NFL and Super Bowl gear; flat-screen TVs; and NFLShop.com gift cards.Continue reading...

Selling No Mine Before Its Time

British design firm Unreal has turned one of the top global stories of 2010 — the Chilean miners who spent 69 days trapped in a mine — into slightly silly Christmas presents for clients: Limited-edition bottles of "Chilean Winers" wine designed by the firm itself.

Although the subject is a little random, you have to admire the detail here. The 33 different bottles have each been named after one of the miners and the miner's story is included on the back. A vertical line on the front of the bottle is a representation of the mine shaft and how far the miners were underground. The tube packaging is designed to evoke the Fenix 2 rescue capsule and the bottles are packed in a pile of gravel.

No word on whether the wine is any good or not, but actual alcoholic beverages brands might want to take note. In the right hands, event-specific limited editions could be a gold mine.

After the jump: Getting floored, Miller Lite's holiday ride campaign and a vodkat fight.Continue reading...

Never heard of Delaware Phoenix Distillery? The New York International Spirits Competition wants to make sure that you do.

Delaware Phoenix, a tiny operation in upstate New York producing absinthe and whiskey, was named Distillery of the Year in the first year of the competition, which compared 187 different spirits from around the world.

It's the first major international spirits competition to be judged by members of the liquor trade, including buyers, bar owners and bartenders, distributors and importers.Continue reading...

Four Loko Lives on in the Hearts of Yale Pranksters
Today marks the last day you can legally purchase Four Loko in the U.S., spurring concerns that Red Bull and vodka will make a comeback.

But if you thought you'd heard the last of Four Loko as it is being banned across the country, think again. The caffeinated alcoholic beverage lives on at Yale as fodder for a prank email delivered to student inboxes this week.

An email making the rounds, supposedly sent by James M. Perlotto, the university's chief of student health, starts out sounding official enough. It reminds Yalies that today is the last day that Four Loko can legally be purchased in Connecticut.

It's the "facts" about Four Loko presented in the email that give the game away, including a claim that 4 out of 5 people in an insane asylum were committed because of Four Loko-induced madness.

The email ends with a plea NOT to buy pro-Loko T-shirts bearing the image at right ... while giving specific details about where and when to buy them and how much they cost. We think someone's got a bright future in marketing.

After the jump: Walmart Wine, Disappearing Beer and "Liking" Heineken.Continue reading...