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Smirnoff stirs up Lime’s tight squeeze
Smirnoff Pure and Special Group proved they’re not ones to rest on their laurels last week when they launched a topical new campaign in conjunction with the Lime scooters suspension.
On Friday, the New Zealand public eagerly awaited news on whether Auckland Council would temporarily ban Lime scooters across the city after a software glitch was causing the front wheels to lock – resulting in a number of injuries. On Friday evening, Auckland Council issued the ban and for all Lime scooters to be immediately removed from the streets in Auckland, with other New Zealand cities volunteering to follow suit.
But by the time Lime scooters were being plucked off streets, Smirnoff Pure’s new billboards were already appearing across Auckland. They show Smirnoff Pure’s classic lime and soda with the tagline, ‘Lime, with no technical issues.’
The billboards did not go unnoticed and within hours had garnered coverage by the New Zealand Herald, Stuff, Newshub and 1 News with more than 10,000 likes, comments and shares on social alone in just 24 hours.
The reactionary billboard is part of Smirnoff’s long-running ‘Pure Potential’ campaign, also created with Special Group. First launched in 2014, Special Group managing director Michael Redwood said last year that long-term commitment and continuity of a brand platform is global best practice and is proven to pay off in the long term.
“This is a hugely successful home-grown example of this,” he said.
