WUNRN
ADVERTISING MEDIA
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN - SEXY ROBOT-WOMAN OF SVEDKA VODKA
"While
criticized in some quarters, it's hard to argue with the success of the
femme-bot as a marketing machine." Sexy Robot Woman prominent role in
Svedka advertising is being diminished but still present.
Diminished role for the Svedka femme-bot.
Scroll down website to click to video of Svedka Robot Woman commercial.
March 20, 2013 - By: E.J.
Schultz
After fronting the brand's
advertising for years, the curvaceous and polarizing metallic mascot will be
relegated to the sidelines for a campaign debuting this spring that takes a
more product-focused approach touting new flavors like orange cream pop.
But fans of the sexy robot can relax. She
is not being tossed to the scrap heap entirely. The brand still plans to use
her in social media, point-of-sale marketing and at events. "I think she's
worked very hard for us and she's played a very key role," Diana Pawlik,
Svedka VP of marketing, told Ad Age. "But right now the focus is about the
character of the flavor and the character of the experience from enjoying and
indulging in the new flavors."
The brand is also taking a break from TV
advertising, opting to pour most its budget into digital and out-of-home ads.
That strategy runs counter to the trend in liquor in which marketers big and
small are spending on TV as
broadcast networks loosen their rules on spirits ads.
Difficult
to stand out
With so many brands on TV, Ms. Pawlik acknowledged that
"is more difficult to stand out." But the main factor driving
Svedka's media shift is an attempt to be "physically present in our
markets," she added. "And we can do that in a more meaningful way
through out-of-home and then punctuating it with a digital focus where we can
geo-target messaging and advertising."
While criticized in some quarters, it's
hard to argue with the success of the femme-bot as a marketing machine. The
15-year-old brand, which was bought by booze giant Constellation Brands in
2007, is now the fourth-largest vodka brand and second-largest imported vodka
behind Absolut, with sales jumping 19.05% in the 52-weeks ending Feb. 24,
according to SymphonyIRI, which tracks sales in stores.
The high-heel wearing femme-bot first began
making a splash back in 2005, when she appeared in futuristic ads that flooded
downtown
Svedka over the years has drawn criticism
with taglines such as "Gay men still prefer Svedka over sex with
women," which was pulled in 2007
after drawing complaints from a self-regulatory program run by the Distilled
Spirits Council of the U.S. Another ad asked consumers: "Did your private
sex tape just go public? Blame Svedka."
What some consumers found edgy and fun,
others viewed as sexist. "Where are the MALE robots?" one person
remarked recently beneath a YouTube video of a Svedka ad.
Polarizing
"She was definitely polarizing," Ms. Pawlik
said. But "I don't think that polarizing is always a bad thing. As much as
she was polarizing, it was provocative and breakthrough."
Ms. Pawlik, a long-time Constellation
marketer who took the Svedka job late last year, said the femme-bot was not
being downplayed as a result of criticism. Rather, with the brand's awareness
fully established, the marketer wanted to shift gears to focus on its expanding
portfolio of flavors. Orange Cream Pop and Strawberry Colada were announced
this month, bringing the total number of flavored offerings to nine. Redesigned
bottles feature a brightly colored, lacquered look meant to evoke the flavor
inside. (Even the little Swedish flag icon matches the flavor color.)
The new campaign is by Bensimon Byrne of
The outdoor media buy will expand beyond
the Svedka's normally targeted markets of