agency: CORTEZ GROUPE client: SAAGA 1763 industry: SPIRITS

BACKSTORY

The lore of Saaga is based in Estonia, where some scholars contend, vodka originated. In 1763, Catherine the Great permitted vodka to be made in Estonia then brought into her native Russia and onto the table of her Imperial Court in St. Petersburg. The basis for Saaga 1763 is the original recipe and production principles applied in 18th century vodka making, with its grain sourced from the same fields as Catherine. Beyond the grain, the spirited stories rumored to have occurred after a night of drinking earned Saaga its name.

CHALLENGE

The brainchild of Master Distiller and Historian Arno Narro, Saaga is a super premium vodka looking to stir the category as the first unfiltered vodka to enter the US market. Manufactured unlike any other vodka on the market, its slow distillation process means no filtration takes place, establishing Saaga as the only vodka with this verifiable method.

Narro’s ambition was to introduce the 1st unfiltered vodka to the world and, with it, the return of proper spirit making and tasting. To bring his ambition to life, Saaga needed a maverick partner who could express the spirits’ unique quality of character and honor its deep-rooted Estonian ancestry with great storytelling.

INSIGHT

With the inherent pure nature of the product, it was clear that Saaga’s unique distillation process would take center stage in their story. But, as it turned out, Saaga wasn’t the only one with distillation on the mind. A competitive review of similarly priced premium vodkas revealed a shouting match amongst brands over whose distillation and filtration method was best.

Given this, Saaga was perfectly positioned to disrupt the category. By dispelling myths about filtration and multi-distillation, and telling why an unfiltered spirit makes the difference in quality, purity and taste, Saaga would beat the competition at their own game. And, to up the game even further, the purity of Saaga’s spirit would be met with the impurity of the drinker’s actions, inspiring the brands positioning: Our spirit is pure. Our stories are not.

IN ACTION: THE BOTTLE

With storytelling at the basis for the brand’s expression, it only made sense to put Saaga’s first protagonist, Catherine the Great, front and center, using the bottle itself as chosen medium for storytelling. Equally important, Saaga’s unique distillation methodology accompanied the bottle in the form of a “necktie” suspended from the bottle’s neck by a leather cord. The marriage of story and spirit became the driving force for the brand, with a story in - and on - every bottle.

IN ACTION: BEYOND THE BOTTLE

In addition to a Website, supporting communications included themed business cards designed to spark conversation, a sales book appropriated for trade shows, training, or a good read, and a campaign imploring drinkers to ‘Spill it.’, a double entendre to compel both unfiltered drinking and storytelling.

RESULTS