Drinks giant hands Smirnoff Black task to Evans Hunt Scott

United Distillers & Vintners is making a concerted push into the

relationship marketing arena with the appointment of Evans Hunt Scott to

handle a programme for its premium vodka brand, Smirnoff Black.

EHS pitched against a number of undisclosed agencies for the task. The

appointment highlights a trend for the drinks giant, which appointed

Craik Jones Watson Mitchell Voelkel to handle a similar project for its

Gordon’s Gin brand earlier this summer (Campaign, 23 July).

While EHS has been appointed for this one brand, there is speculation

that UDV is planning to test cross-brand promotions encompassing a

variety of products in the premium sector.

The programme will cover activity to both the on- and off-trade,

although specific campaign details will not be revealed.

It is expected that the programme will have hit the market by early next

year, with some activity in the busy period running up to Christmas and

the millennium.

Terry Hunt, the chairman of EHS, said: ’Smirnoff Black is aimed at the

niche clubbers market, so it will challenge our targeting skills to

their finest degree.’

EHS’s experience in the loyalty sector - especially its ground-breaking

work on the Tesco Clubcard programme - played a part in securing the

business.

This article was first published on Campaign