Social Media Campaign Review – Rebecca Hocking

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project – More Than Just Selling Vodka

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project may not have been the most talked about social media campaign from the past 12 months, the Facebook page may not have the most ‘likes’, they may not have been a top trend on Twitter and the YouTube videos did not receive millions of views. But you have to admire what the project set out to do.

The 2011 campaign was an extension of the same project they hosted in 2010, encouraging people from all over the world to share via Facebook their nightlife and clubbing experiences. The end result being the ultimate club night held simultaneously all over the world.

In 2011, Smirnoff wanted to make the campaign bigger and better (so much so they stated this in their YouTube video advertisements). The same principles applied, fans shared their favourite nightlife experiences, talked about what they enjoyed the most on a night out and what the ultimate clubbing experience would be and Smirnoff listened to them and took note. The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange project threw all these ideas together and created the ultimate nightlife experience and hosted it across 50 countries in 6 continents. And to take it one step further, they enlisted the help of global superstar Madonna who took the project one step further and transformed it into a talent search to find a dancer to join her on her next tour.

If you take a step back, the campaign has everything that the majority of successful social and traditional campaigns have; video advertising plastered with the brand name and logo, a Facebook fan page and a celebrity face to create an even bigger buzz. What makes this campaign different from the ones we are exposed to everyday is that Smirnoff never tried to force their products upon the audience. They instead looked at what it is that their audiences most closely relate to their products, the answer being clubbing and nightlife. This is what they were selling, an experience. They engaged with their audiences, listened to what they wanted, offered an opportunity that they had never had before and create an unforgettable experience all whilst building themselves a positive brand image.