Smirnoff eyes RTD market with vodka pre-mix ‘Smirnoff Ice’ in India

To kick-start the party season the leading vodka brand Smirnoff last year launched it’s vodka premix ‘Smirnoff Ice’ in India.

The premixed vodka is available in two flavors, Smirnoff ICE Black and Smirnoff ICE Original. Smirnoff Ice has a  strong, sharp taste with an ABV of 7% for 275ml. Smirnoff ICE Black is priced at Rs. 80 and Rs. 110 in Goa and Karnataka respectively.  Smirnoff ICE Original with an ABV of 5% for 275ml, has a lighter lemon flavoured taste which is available for Rs 75 and Rs 110 in Goa and Karnataka respectively. However, for some reason the company has decided not to launch the brand in Maharashtra any time soon.

Speaking about the brand Bhavesh Somaya, Marketing & Innovation Director, Diageo India said, “Smirnoff ICE will revolutionize how every party starts in the country and consumers will love the great taste and convenience it offers. The premixed vodka is the ideal icebreaking drink to kick start the party and set the night for a great experience. We are very excited to bring this product to Bangalore after a successful launch in Goa and confident that the garden city will have a great time with Smirnoff ICE.”

It is worth noting that the RTD brand’s main rival Bacardi Breezer has 97% share in the domestic RTD segment estimated at over 2 million cases annually. It will be interesting to see how far ICE is successful in grabbing some of Breezer’s market share.

As the campaign says rightly, Wait no more, ‘Start the night, break some ice’…let the party begin.