Grey Goose is taking Canadians through a typical French bakery and transporting them to the French Riviera as part of an experiential campaign for its premium vodka brand.
Two-day pop-up events will be held in Toronto and Montreal in July and Calgary and Vancouver in August, part of a global campaign for Grey Goose that will see stopovers in some 20 locations around the world, including New York, Paris and Venice.
“It’s a great opportunity for Canada to give an experiential platform that speaks to the brand’s heritage and to provide an extraordinary experience to our guests,” says Michael Corvese, Grey Goose senior brand manager for Canada in Brampton, Ont. Canada is the number two global market for Grey Goose, behind the U.S., he says.
The pop-ups celebrate the 20-year-old brand’s French heritage, including the soft winter wheat from the Picardie region (known as the breadbasket of France) that is used to make Grey Goose.
At the events, people will pass through a bakery called Grey Goose Boulangerie Bleue with freshly baked bread — made with the same wheat that is used to make Grey Goose – before being transported to a French Riviera setting. Events will include lunches, dinners and after parties, all with Grey Goose cocktails.
For the Canadian events, Grey Goose has partnered with renowned Toronto chef Jamie Kennedy.
“He values a farm-to-table style of cooking in terms of sourcing the finest, highest quality ingredients – that really is a perfect match,” Corvese says of Kennedy. “It mirrors the values of Grey Goose vodka in terms of how we make our products from field to bottle.”
Corvese says invited guests will include socialites and influencers from the cities.
The Toronto event, which takes place at the Spoke on the Water at Island Yacht Club in Toronto, will have a select number of tickets available to the public.
The events aim at inspiring consumers to trade up to the premium vodka category, according to Tom Swift, global vice-president of Grey Goose. “We are making a significant, global investment through-the-line to drive category growth,” he said in a statement.
The brand is also touting its summertime drink, Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz, an “effortless cocktail” that includes Grey Goose vodka, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur , fresh lime and soda water.
The Grey Goose vodka line, which is part of the Bacardi portfolio, includes flavoured vodkas and a spirit drink.
Public relations for Grey Goose in Canada is handled by Pomp & Circumstance. The experiential campaign was created by Community.
