JERSEY CITY, NJ, Aug. 8, 2006 -- Soyuz-Victan, the third largest vodka marketer in the world with the two fastest-growing brands, announced today that it will launch SV The Silk Vodka into selected U.S. markets starting in September. It is the first Soyuz-Victan brand of its kind to be available in America, and a key element in the company’s aggressive global expansion strategy that encompasses a broad and growing portfolio of spirits and wines. Soyuz-Victan is the fastest growing producer of vodka in Russia, with global sales of 12 million cases and an annual growth rate of 54.5% in 2005, according to Impact, an international drinks trade magazine. The US launch is just the first in a series of international launches for SV The Silk Vodka.
Positioned as “the naturally smooth vodka,” SV The Silk Vodka redefines the Russian vodka category. “American consumers expecting the harsh nose and hot, alcohol bite typical of other Russian vodkas on the market are in for a very pleasant surprise,” says SV Export Director, Yaroslav Bondarenko.
SV The Silk Vodka is artisanally-crafted, based on hundreds of years of Russian vodka heritage combined with the best of 21st century distilling techniques. It is filtered 14 times through five different types of mountain crystals and minerals to achieve an unparalleled, natural smoothness not previously available in a Russian vodka.
SV The Silk Vodka is packaged in an elegant, soaring bottle that artfully blends clear, frosted and etched glass with the sleek, red SV logo and silver cap, reflecting the brand’s style and sophistication. According to Mark McKethan, President and General Director of Soyuz-Victan USA, “the bottle was designed to stand out, whether on the back bar, in club VIP rooms or on-shelf at retail”. SV The Silk Vodka will initially be available in a 750 ml size, with a suggested retail price of $26.99.
Initially, SV The Silk Vodka will launch in the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Boston, San Francisco and Dallas metropolitan areas, with national expansion to follow. “Our goal is to focus on a limited number of high-end bars and clubs in these taste-setting markets,” says McKethan. “Instead of doing one-off drink promotions in a broad range of accounts per market; we will concentrate our marketing resources on driving repeat traffic to this limited pool of prestige retail partners.”
The introduction of SV The Silk Vodka will be backed by an initial, $10 million marketing budget. A stylish ad campaign, created by McCaffrey, Gottlieb & Lane, positioning the brand as “The Silk Vodka” to underscore its naturally smooth character, will break in September issues of cosmopolitan lifestyle magazines, including Time Out New York, New York Magazine, Time Out Chicago, Chicago Magazine, LA Confidential, Angelino, Ocean Drive, Boston Magazine. These print executions will feature distinctive images of the SV The Silk Vodka bottle provocatively draped with sensuous, flowing pieces of silk. Variations on the Silk Vodka theme also will be featured in radio, outdoor and online advertising.
The brand will launch an aggressive, on-premise marketing, education and sampling effort spearheaded by NextLevel Marketing, which will enlist brand ambassadors for each market to work with targeted accounts and local distributors.
A wide array of public relations and non-traditional marketing communication initiatives led by Euro RSCG Magnet will support the SV The Silk Vodka introduction, including influencer events, celebrity outreach, and online and blogosphere communications.
Additional information on Soyuz-Victan Company and SV The Silk Vodka brand vodka are available online at: www.svvodka.com.
ABOUT SOYUZ-VICTAN COMPANY
The Soyuz-Victan Company, the world’s third-largest vodka supplier and fastest-growing spirits marketer, was founded in 1994. The company markets over 50 brands of alcoholic beverages, including three leading Russian vodka brands, SV, Medoff, and Mernaya, Koktebel wines, and brandies, ready-to-drink cocktails, and bottled waters. Soyuz-Victan products are available in more than 30 countries worldwide. Principal production facilities are located in Moscow, Russia, and in Kiev and Simferopol, Ukraine. SV The Silk Vodka is imported into the U.S. by Soyuz-Victan USA, Manhasset, NY.
