As the lead creative agency for Cîroc—in both design & advertising—we have the rare luxury to embrace influence on all fronts of the creative work-streams. In some instances, the design ignites the campaign narrative, & other times, the opposite. In the case of Cîroc Limonata—the latest flavor innovation—we were inspired by a narrative throughout all touchpoints of the creative inception.

Limited Edition, Design, Art Direction, Campaign, Key Visuals (Print, Digital & Social), Photo & Video Production, Retail Assets. 

A simple, yet very rich, consumer insight guided us from the flavor name, towards the design, into the campaign strategy, & finally through the execution. Always looking to celebrate the Cîroc consumer’s values and mindset, we leaned into the prevalent American obsession with Italian food culture & ways of living. In a world of nonstop motion and chaos, it makes sense that we’re drawn towards what Italy has to offer—La Dolce Vita—where an unapologetic embrace of pleasure is, essentially, a shared personality. Having this in mind, coupled with an elongated vision of launching a Lemonade flavor, we landed on Cîroc Limonata—an elevated lemonade vodka that transports you without a plane ticket.

Being Cîroc’s first time offering a colored liquid, we wanted to celebrate this and bring it to the forefront, using a simple transparent frosted glass, which underscored the muted yellow liquid. The unmistakable three stripes on the bottle’s waist are a nod to the fashion and elevation seen throughout Italy. The bold yellow stripes, bottle capsule, & ‘orb’ (Cîroc’s signature icon), all result in a bottle that simply can’t be missed on-shelf. Beyond that, we wanted to disrupt the industry, by blending culture & fashion into a product design.

Using our strategic foundation, we came up with the campaign headline, “Escape with Flavor”, encouraging consumers to take a transportive leap with us across the Mediterranean. We wanted to transport, but also disrupt—staying true to the Cîroc’s DNA. Cîroc consumers don’t merely ‘escape’; they escape with a flavor & authenticity that is active, not passive.

For the video—directed by Executive Creative Director, Pierre Delebois—we scripted a series of, chaotic & visually striking, moments where a group friends showed off how they escape on vacation. We wanted to portray how our people (those who choose Cîroc) unwind, which for them means nothing other than bringing their energy and unapologetic self-expression to the table. The goal was not to visually fit into the spirits category, but rather challenge the norm & push into a new dimension of playful luxury. Since there was an equal need for static assets, we relied on Yulia Gorbachenko to elevate the campaign through imagery. This production being Yulia’s fourth working with our team on Cîroc, she knew exactly what was needed before we briefed her. Since we were limited to a two-day production, Yulia worked within the video script schedule & took advantage of the existing setups to capture stills, maximizing production output. We casted a range of talent, accentuating the Brand’s diversity, and featured two elderly cast members to reflect the raw Italian culture, as the Nonnas and Nonnos play such a strong societal role. Antonio, our hero cast member, is an infamous figure in Italy, known for grazing the beaches and cafes of Naples—shirtless—showing off his “Tutto Passa” tattoo, stamped across his chest. After a week of searching for him in Naples, our production team finally found Antonio & proposed the idea, which he instantly agreed to. This manhunt could easily be the highlight of the campaign. Across the U.S. and Europe, the video and still assets were applied throughout: broadcast TV (airing 7 times during the Grammys), out-of-home (ft. a Super Bowl takeover in Las Vegas), paid digital/social, OLV, retail, & experiential.