Viral Vodka: Smirnoff Ad Trolls Trump's Travails With Russia Vote Hacking

Smirnoff, a vodka brand founded by a Russian, owned by a British conglomerate and manufactured at an American plant in Plainfield, Illinois is running ads playing on the President's travails regarding Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Relying on social media virality rather than expensive ad buys, the campaign has used public attention as a force multiplier for consumer attention. JL

E. J. Schultz reports in Advertising Age:

In new ads, the nation's largest vodka brand states that it is "made in America but we'd be happy to talk about our Russian ties under oath." While the ad buy was limited, Smirnoff is getting worldwide attention on social media.
Smirnoff is poking fun at Donald Trump's pledge to testify under oath amid allegations that Russia meddled in the U.S. election. In new outdoor ads, the nation's largest vodka brand states that it is "made in America but we'd be happy to talk about our Russian ties under oath."
The ads began popping up and target small portions of the New York metro area, including a train station in Harlem, a Diageo spokesman confirmed. "Smirnoff has been made in America for more than eight decades. The recent interest in American-made products created the perfect opportunity to reinforce that fact and the brand's roots in Russia – with a wink and nod to current affairs," he stated. The agency behind the ad is 72andSunny.While the ad buy was limited, Smirnoff is getting worldwide attention on social media. This tweet below, for instance, was retweeted by Diageo's North American chief marketing and innovation officer, James Thompson.
The ad is a reference to Trump's assertion that he was "100 percent" willing to testify under oath about his conversations with James Comey. The remark came a day after the fired FBI director testified before a Senate committee amid investigations into allegations of Russian meddling in the presidential election. Comey alleged that the president asked for loyalty and pressured him to back off the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Smirnoff was founded in 1864 by Piotr Arseneevich Smirnov and before long, "he became one of the most famous vodka makers in Russia," according to the brand's web site. Bottles of Smirnoff sold in the U.S. are made at a plant in Plainfield, Illinois.