Olivia Kupfer shares her insights into the new Ketel One Botanical campaign, “A Purely Delightful Choice”

Tell us about your current role at Diageo. What’s the most exciting thing about it?

I am the Brand Director for Ketel One in the US. The role is fantastic because we work alongside the Nolet family whose predecessors opened the doors to their distillery in 1691. With their more than 300 years of distilling experience and successful entrepreneurship, they’re excellent counterparts to learn from. Beyond this I love seeing our work, specifically our strategic and creative decisions, go out into the world for consumers to enjoy. It’s like being an artist and getting to see how the world experiences your art. It’s very exciting when you develop a new advertising campaign and consumers appreciate it.

Ketel One Botanical is a lower ABV option – tell us more about this product and the demand for Low Alc options?

Ketel One Botanical, vodka distilled with real botanicals and infused with natural fruit essences, was launched in 2018 and is a first of its kind product within spirits. It’s an option for mindful consumers who want to make balanced choices when drinking. We see tremendous growth in lower ABV offerings within spirits which is exciting, but the space is becoming increasingly competitive. Ketel One Botanical paved the way for an entirely new category of spirit and is a strong competitor to wine, as it fits the same daytime, lower tempo drinking occasions, but has 40% fewer calories than white wine and no sugar or carbs. Functionally, this product delivers everything that consumers who make mindful choices want, but given the Nolet family history of distilling, the product is delicious, fresh-tasting and fit to elevate social occasions. The new campaign, “A Purely Delightful Choice,” brings this sensorial delight and taste experience to life for consumers who have yet to try our lovely Ketel One Botanical. We have made it a priority to ensure that there is no compromising on taste when you have a Ketel One Botanical.

What has been your involvement in brand moderation initiatives and why does this matter to you?

Moderation is essential to our business and our role as a leader within spirits. This leadership role means we must set the standard for what moderated consumption means and consequently, Ketel One has developed communications and creative content for every campaign launched to ensure we reflect this choice. Today, we see that consumers may choose to drink but there are also plenty of sociable occasions when they do not. For the new campaign, we’ve reflected that in our social responsibility message, acknowledging that sometimes it’s a water and sometimes it’s a Ketel One Botanical Spritz, but that both are excellent.

Tell us about the newly launched Ketel One Botanical brand campaign, “A Purely Delightful Choice” – what does it involve and why Diageo are committed?

Ketel One Botanical provides a standout choice for consumers who are looking to make mindful choices. Our new campaign reflects our leadership position in the responsible drinking space, with a focus on how the product is crafted and tastes as well as our use of real ingredients.

Our Ketel One Trademark is built upon our unwavering commitment to exceptional quality. Furthermore, we wanted to build a world in this campaign that allowed for continued discovery of this product – expanding our reach to our target audience, women 25-54. Between the aspirational green visuals highlighting outdoor moments and the creative device where our “hero” is – with intention - reaching for a Ketel One Botanical Spritz, we feel this campaign brings to life the sensorial bliss of choosing a Ketel One Botanical Spritz, our signature serve.

What has been your involvement in this campaign and why does this matter to you?

I have been involved in this work from start to finish; from identifying a need for the work to building the brief, working through the creative ideas shared, making it (in Los Angeles during COVID, no less) and bringing the many Diageo and Nolet stakeholders along on this journey. I am passionate about building brands and creating a vision for how our brands shape trends and standards within spirits. It was important to me that this work be an evolution from both what we’ve done and what competitors do within the mindful consumption space.

Any career advice you have for someone looking to join Diageo?

Diageo embraces thinking, creativity and vision. If you have ideas, passion and curiosity, then it’s a tremendous fit. I advise people to bring new thinking to any recruiting conversation with Diageo, as it demonstrates a shared value. You also must be a self-starter here, so regardless of experience, if you can demonstrate initiative, then I’d recommend highlighting that.

Olivia Kupfer shares her insights into the new Ketel One Botanical campaign, “A Purely Delightful Choice”

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