SKYY Vodka is an American Spirits brand under the Gruppo Campari name, a well-known player in the global spirits industry. Their products include brands such as SKYY, Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, Wild Turkey, and Grand Manier. The Campari name was founded in 1860 and now is one of the top six major spirit industries in the world, trading with over 190 nations around the globe, owning 18 plants worldwide, and local distribution in 20 countries. This company aims to “combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses” (http://www.camparigroup.com). Relating to the people and what they most desire is a big tactic in spirit advertisement which can be seen through their missions and goals.   

Although Campari has many brands underneath their belt, the one I have decided to focus on today is SKYY Vodka because of their branding technique of sexualizing their advertisements which can be clearly seen in the advertainment of their SKYY Infusions Cherry Vodka above. This specific brand was founded in 1992 by entrepreneur and investor, Maurice Kanbar who then changed the spirits industry with SKYY’s quadruple-distillation and triple-filtration process. Distilled in the American Midwest, SKYY became the leading super premium of Vodkas and now annually sells 2.5 million cases globally. This Vodka quickly started to stand out from the crowd when their signature cobalt blue bottle was introduced a year after its appearance in 1993 and over the course of a decade, three photographers have created the brand that is SKYY. A visual communication that allures to the perfect ‘cocktail moment’, and now print advertisement that uniquely captures this brands exotic and glamourous personality.   

SKYY, combined with Campari has stated that their values include: Passion, Integrity, Pragmatism, and Together. They are PASSIONATE about their industry and providing the best experience for their customers and consumers and go that extra mile when necessary. They have INTEGRITY in ensuring that fairness, honesty, and consistency, is their hallmarks of business transactions. PRAGMATISM is problem solving through all levels of business. They are TOGETHER in functionality, working with passion to avoid silos, proactively breaking any cultural, organizational and geographical barriers, and working cross-functionally to move in the same direction to reach everyone’s shared dream. 

Now knowing the behind the scenes business aspects of SKYY and the Campari brand it is easy to understand the intended audience for this spirit. Like sated before, SKYY Vodka aims to have their brand be classified in an exotic yet elegant demeanor with a glamourous personality that touches on the riske. All of these characteristics combined are clearly aimed towards an audience of young successful people. In their advertisement, SKYY wants to show the elegance and grace of drinking their vodka along with the sex appeal of it too. Many of their ad’s are depicted in a sexual manner that often involve the sexualization of both men and women, even having multiple ad’s that show one man with two women. These sexualized advertisements can be mostly found in print magazines while their commercials can be found on TV during programs such as the super bowl, a time when people are most likely drinking and in an influenced state. Although their TV commercials are more focused on the elegance of drinking their vodka instead of the sexiness of it.   

In the advertisement I attached above, I pulled from their print collection which is all highly sexually suggestive in manner. In this one specifically, they are advertising their new SKYY Vodka Infusions Line Cherry. You are able to see the well-known cobalt blue bottle in the center with two female profiles off to each side, they both have a cherry in their mouth with the stems still connected lined up in the center of the bottle and a tagline of “Go Natural”. All of these elements combined leads to an effective sexually suggestive advertisement. The bottle being the shaft of a penis and the cherries being two testicles, if being blunt. This is only one of many SKYY Vodka print ads that have sexually charged pictures on them. Others include grape vines being used as restraints, half naked women in sexual poses, men surrounded by women, women dominating men, etc. If you would like to look at them all, I highly suggest checking out http://www.survnow.com/blog/the-13-sexiest-skyy-vodka-advertisements/ to see the actual pictures of what I mentioned. All of these advertisements are intended to grab the attention of young professionals because their use of sexually charged material and additional use of professionalism which generally is used to target a younger audience that can be more influenced into buying their product. According to the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing;

“A review of the neuroscience, psychology and marketing literatures concluded that adolescents, because of how the human brain develops, may be particularly attracted to branded products such as alcohol that are associated with risky behavior and that provide, in their view, immediate gratification, thrills and/or social status.” (C. Pechmann) 

The ad’s SKYY releases show this use of risky behavior in a sexual way and show the pleasure of what is achieved when drinking their spirit. This tactic is aimed towards the young and influenced.  

Now, you’re probably wondering why is this product advertised in such a way that aims to attract its viewers even though this product is considered a drug and only legal to those over the age of 21 in the United States. Well, truth behold, the alcohol industry is primarily focused on getting their consumers hooked and wanting to buy more, but what YOU as the consumer don’t know is the real story behind the process of making this addictive substance.  

Based on Livescience.com, Vodka fermentation is a process that has been around since the medieval times and now approximately 1.2 billion gallons is downed each year from consumers which makes it the world’s most popular spirit. Vodka is made through the fermentation of grains, potatoes, fruits, or just plain sugar…literally any foods that contain starches or sugars. While the fermentation creates a product that is only 16% Alcohol By Volume or ABV which is a relatively low percentage, the vapor the fermentation process creates gives off a product that is 30-40% ABV giving us what we know as Vodka!  

When consuming alcohol this drug is quickly dispelled into the bloodstream, with 80% of it getting absorbed through your small intestines and 20% through your stomach (science.howstuffworks.com) the feel-good chemical known as endorphins, which are linked to the reward centers of your brain are released and many consumers often experience feeling of euphoria, excitement, sometimes confusion, and stupor when your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) increases. This feeling that I am describing is what we know as being “drunk” which can sometimes be a destructive thing. Those feel good chemicals can become highly addictive if alcohol consumption is abused which can lead to addiction, health problems such as liver disease, and the destruction of your family. These are all the things alcohol advertisements do not want to tell you about because it would destroy their industry. What SKYY doesn’t advertise is the adverse effects of long term consumption of their product and the ugly truth behind what drinking alcohol does to the insides of your body. 

In the SKYY Vodka advertisements, they use multiple techniques to draw in their consumers “to the dark side” such as distorted presentations, intriguing visual imagery, amped up usage of what it’s like to drink their product, sexual innuendos, and more all to grab the attention of the viewer with the hopes of turning that viewer into a consumer. These tactics are all very deceptive now that you know the true effects of alcohol and how it created. These companies such as SKYY are looking to keep those issues on the hush hush because it is bad for business to advertise the negative effects of their product, just like any other product out there. If there is a chance that their product harms their buyers and consumers then why would you advertise that to the public?  

Now the final question is, is whether or not I would recommend this drug to someone…and the answer is yes, but each patron that decides to use this drug should be aware of its effects and what it can do to the body and mind just like every other drug out there. Be well informed of what you are using and know the right amount you can consume based on your body size and weight. Do your research before doing anything you are unsure of and know the facts! But also, and most importantly be safe and have fun! 🙂 

Best,  

Skyler Caldwell-Olsen  

 

References: 

“About.” SKYY Vodka, www.skyy.com/about/. 

“Our Mission and Values.” Our Mission and Values | Campari Corporate, www.camparigroup.com/en/our-group/our-group/mission-and-values. 

Surv. “The 13 Sexiest Skyy Vodka Advertisements.” SURV, 19 Dec. 2014, www.survnow.com/blog/the-13-sexiest-skyy-vodka-advertisements/. 

C. Pechmann, L. Levine, et al., “Impulsive and self-conscious: Adolescents’ vulnerability to advertising and promotion,” Journal of Public Policy and Marketing24(2005): 202-221. 

Dhar, Michael. “What Is Vodka?” LiveScience, Purch, 18 Nov. 2013, www.livescience.com/41298-what-is-vodka.html. 

Boyles, Salynn. “Why Is Alcohol Addictive? Study Offers Clues.” WebMD, WebMD, 11 Jan. 2012, www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20120111/study-sheds-more-light-on-why-some-get-alcoholism#1. 

“What Makes Alcohol So Addictive? | Rehab International | Drug & Alcohol Rehab Guides.”Rehab International, rehab-international.org/blog/what-makes-alcohol-so-addictive. 

Freudenrich, Ph.D. Craig. “How Alcohol Works.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 21 Dec. 2000, science.howstuffworks.com/alcohol.htm.