The horror! The first world horror!!
Just in time for Halloween, Svedka and Bensimon Byrne are sharing some millennial horror stories for the Constellation Brands vodka.
The U.S. focused “First World Horror” campaign uses three video spots to portray the scary “first world” problems many millennials talk about online every day: an underperforming social post, a full-to-capacity phone and an ignored text from a girl.
The campaign demonstrates the brand’s fondness for cheeky humour while reminding consumers of Svedka as a perfect cocktail option for upcoming Halloween parties, said Bensimon Byrne creative director Dan Strasser. (Last year, Bensimon Byrne created print-your-own costumes for Halloween.)
The digital-only campaign includes banner ads, enhanced banners, pre-roll and various social media posts driving consumers to the “First World Horrors” hub, which includes all three videos and Halloween themed recipes. Bensimon Byrne handles the media for Svedka as well as all social media management and listening.
“Through our suite of licensed tools we perform ongoing listening to get to the root of what millennials are talking about,” said Strasser.
While much of the vodka category was fixated on increasingly “crazy” flavours in recent years, Svedka mostly avoided that trend, which has shown signs of fading, and focused on core flavours that consumers actually want, said Strasser. This allowed Svedka to focus on fundamental positioning Bensimon Byrne established since winning the business in 2012—“to amplify the party with a good vodka,” he said— and building up an engaged social following.
“We are always sharing interesting cocktails and recipes, but we also need to supplement that with some content for them to engage with,” he said, of the three videos. Each spot subtly showcases a Svedka cocktail though the goal is to drive viewers to the Halloween hub.
The ads should resonate with millennials because, while they are clearly intended to evoke laughter and smiles by poking fun at some stereotypical millennial behaviours, the underlying premise of first world horrors will ring true for many in the target.
The spots open with a dramatic build up before cutting to simple, mundane settings with two millennials discussing their own personal dilemma. “The horror of the first-world problem that they talk about is quite horrific to millennials,” said Strasser. “They laugh, but then they are like, ‘Oh yeah, that is true.’”
The three spots were shot in Toronto in one location and in one day by Untitled’s Curtis Wehrfritz. “The concepts were so simple, but we wanted to partner with someone who understood that and who could bring to life the simplicity of the spots,” said Strasser.
