Diageo launches Gordon's Pink Gin & Soda

Following the successful launch of Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin in May, Diageo is bringing the new Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin & Soda to Australia.

The RTD combines the sweetness of the gin’s strawberries, raspberries and redcurrant, with the lightness of soda to create a blush Pink Gin Spritz, designed to be enjoyed in relaxed, light-hearted afternoon drinking occasions. 

The launch comes as Gordon’s Gin announces the appointment of fashion and lifestyle authority Kate Waterhouse (below) as official ambassador for Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin in Australia.

The ambassadorship will encompass social, experiential and editorial commitments in support of the launch, the latter activity as part of Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin’s media partnership with Vogue Australia.

Jodi McLeod, Diageo Marketing Manager, said: “We’re confident Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin & Soda will be the trend-setting drink of spring and summer in Australia.

“The appetite for pink gin is going from strength to strength, while gin continues to be the fastest growing category in Australian spirits. We know our market wants an easy way to enjoy this trend that suits their lifestyle, and with Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin & Soda we’ve made it easier than ever to enjoy this summer.

“Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin & Soda is such an inherently shareable serve, both in design and the attractive pale pink of the liquid itself that we’re expecting it to be a popular choice amongst style-conscious millennials. But the liquid truly speaks for itself; consumers are continuing to choose pink gin because it not only looks great but actually delivers on flavour too.”

Gordon’s Premium Pink & Soda 330ml is available now from BWS and Dan Murphy’s; RRP $21.99 for 330ml x 4-pack. ABV 4%.

How Diageo made RTD’s sexy again

Diageo marketing and innovation director Adam Ballesty told Ad News earlier this year that the company’s RTDs are bucking Australia’s declining alcohol trend.

“Australians can be seen as drinking less but drinking better, but at the moment spirits consumption is increasing,” he said.

The company has spent $20 million on campaigns to support its premix drinks over the past two years, in a bid to make the RTD market “sexy again”.

Ballesty used the example of the company’s Bundaberg Rum repositioning, with the brand’s fortunes experiencing a complete turnaround since its relaunch two years ago.

“When my team sat down and looked at all the consumer research and had a look at the brand from the bottom up, every key metric for that brand was red.

“That’s from brand to sales performance. I’m very proud to say that all the key metrics are now green.

“It has been an outstanding result and one that would be on the top of my resume in terms of things I’m most proud of achieving in my marketing career.”

He’s pleased with the overall success the company’s RTDs have experienced, with the market fighting back from an eight-year decline, plus the challenges they face from a tax perspective.

“We’d had great success in the RTD space in the last 18 months, with Smirnoff, Pimms, and Tanqueray, our first real premium RTD,” he told CMO. “Now, we’ve got a really big job to do on Smirnoff. We launched Smirnoff pure, our first RTD with lower sugar, lower alcohol, no preservatives, etc, and it’s been an outstanding success. So now, we need to work out where does that whole wellness or lower alcohol no sugar trend take us? And how does it translate to the job we have to do on Smirnoff moving forward.”