Diageo’s North America unit has targeted two hot dog-themed world records as part of a marketing campaign for the group’s Smirnoff Ice RTD.
The brand owner will try for the Guinness World Record titles of ‘Largest Display of Hot Dogs’ and ‘Largest Hot Dog Party’ at an event sponsored by the flavoured-malt-beverage Smirnoff extension. The record attempts will take place in the village of Put-In-Bay, in Ohio, on 1 August.
The division yesterday (14 July) commenced a digital campaign, ‘Be A Part-y of History’, around the activity, with a series of social media content featuring hot dogs and Smirnoff Ice (below). Limited-edition ‘Doggie Bags’ (above), designed to hold a bottle of the RTD, are also being given away via the brand’s US Instagram account between today – which is ‘National Hot Dog Day’ – and Saturday (18 July).
The campaign is centred around Smirnoff Ice’s Red, White and Berry extension, and is also being tied in to the US’s 250th anniversary earlier this month.
“America’s 250th is a rare cultural moment, and it’s bigger than one day,” said Smirnoff Ice director Fergus McCarthy. We wanted Smirnoff Ice to show up in a way that felt true to the brand: playful, a little unexpected and built for summer.
“Red, White & Berry already owns a place in summer celebrations, so pairing it with the hot dog lets us tap into an unmistakably American ritual and give fans a fun reason to keep the party going.”
Last month, Diageo invited US consumers to vote on the next flavour extensions for Smirnoff Ice through a partnership with Love Island USA. Viewers of the reality TV show can vote for new flavours via a dedicated web page that will stay open until 22 July.
