• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, November 15, 2013

The vodka brand -- from Modesto, Calif.-based New Amsterdam Spirits, a subsidiary of E&J Gallo -- sold 1 million cases in its first 12 months, making it the fastest spirits brand in history to achieve that mark.  

Gallo attributed the brand's launch success to its distributor network and retail partners, its quality ("five-times distilled") and marketing strategies targeting young adult males, such as events like pop-up "Shave Lounges" held around the country. The brand's accessible price point (about $14.99 for a 750-ml bottle) has no doubt also contributed, points out Shanken News Daily.

With sales up again significantly this year, according to Gallo, the time was right to invest in an advertising campaign.

As with previous marketing efforts, the "It's Your Town" campaign, created with San Francisco-based agency Muh-Tay-Zik|Hof-fer, seeks to appeal to the mid-twenty-ish crowd -- or what New Amsterdam describes as "a generation of consumers that revels in a night out on the town, but with a sense of responsibility and pride in the community."

The five TV spots, directed by British commercial and film director Nima Noruizadeh, show footage of young adults enjoying camaraderie at hip night clubs, pool parties and other venues, intercut with stills by party photographer The Cobra Snake.

Messages such as "Going out is your civic duty," "Practice your right to assemble," "Be a model citizen," "Join the department of hanging out" and "All rise" pop up on the screen intermittently.

The spots are backed by tracks from Fitz and the Tantrums and rapper Crown, who wrote a song about civic-mindedness specifically for the campaign (the song will also appear on his debut album).

The campaign also includes digital, outdoor, point-of-sale and other channels.

Sister brand New Amsterdam Gin also took off quickly: Released in 2007, it sold 700,000 cases in 2011, according to Impact Databank.