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Today was the last day of the Idea Forum in Bucharest and this morning was workshop time.

My teams were given the task of building a 2.0 strategy for a fictional 300 year old Romanian vodka brand.

The big problem was they only had 40 minutes to do it, but the hastily formed The AA Team and Stonehenge "agencies" did good.

The AA Team positioned the brand as the strongest vodka on the market with the creative positioning of "Unmixable".

They built the story around the founding family who never mixed with others, were uncompromising and named the brand Stanca, which means rock/cliff face in Romanian (I hope!!). Their core target was hard "partying" students on campuses, so the vodka was priced low so they could afford it. Their big 2.0 idea revolved around virtual parties; students could participate from a far in "Last Man Standing" contests and allowing competing campus parties could webcast their party scenes too attract more attendees.

Stonehenge built their idea around the theme of the "Next 300 years". The main focus of activity was on the brand's website where users could look back on the past and could use it to remix the future. Users would be given the opportunity to play with old texts and photos and to contribute ideas for new cocktails. Users would be encouraged to contribute by a sales promotion scheme which awarded points for contributions. To spread news of the site, the agency suggested sending a viral invitation to the top 20 bloggers in Romania.

Overall, the workshop was way better than listening to me drone on about Flickr and 2.0 and gave me a chance to see how they think and better understand the challenges marketers and strategists face in the Romanian marketplace.


Posted by Ed Cotton While veteran vodka brand Absolut was busy launching its latest ad campaign, upstart Vodka 360 was just coming out of the gate. Absolut might not fear 360, but this new brand is focusing single-mindedly on the environment as a platform. From the process to the packaging; 360 is trying to be squeaky "green".

360 may get its 15 minutes of fame, but ultimately the brand leaders, like Absolut, will integrate environmental values into their brand.

It's all about timing and trying to second guess the tactics of your largest competitors.

360 hopes that the brands are slow and challenged; Russian brands might have a tough time persuading anyone that they are green, but this could be easier for the Scandinavians
stoli opens hotel (34.09915438284843 , -118.32889080047607) Stolichnaya vodka is another example of a brand creating a three dimensional experience in the real world.

This Wednesday, Stolichnaya vodka will open the Stoli “hotel” in LA, not a permanent fixture, but a pop-up venue inspired by the Hotel Moscova; the hotel shown on the vodka brand's bottle. The 10,000 sq ft venue has a bar, guest rooms, an elite suite for VIPs and design wise combines the vodka’s Russian roots and heritage with modern elements.

The venue will be used for DJ nights, film opening after parties and magazine events (GQ, InStyle and Playboy).

For those interested in checking it out, the hotel is located at 1555 Ivar Ave Hollywood, CA 90028

The hotel will “travel” to Chicago, New York and Miami and there will also be a website.

This idea is a step-up from the usual drinks brand sponsorship of events. The pop-up hotel gives Stoli greater control over the experience and allows for endless branding opportunities.