• by Les Luchter , September 12, 2021

Italian aperitif Campari and Imbibe, the “Liquid Culture” consumer magazine (print and online), have teamed up for their ninth Negroni Week, starting Sept. 13. The popular Negroni -- a mixture of Campari, gin and sweet vermouth -- is at the center of this seven-day charity event. To participate, bars and restaurants serve Negronis and donate to charities, choosing from a wide variety of causes.

The last non-virtual Campari Week two years ago raised more than $790,000.

Imbibe began the annual largely on-premises event in 2013, fueled by two spirits industry movements -- “the popularity of the Negroni and an increasingly charitable ethos among bartenders,” the magazine’s publisher, Karen Foley, told Marketing Daily.

The first year had only 100 or so participating bars, “but there was a surprising amount of buzz surrounding it on social media,” Foley remembered. Campari came on board as presenting sponsor the following year, and 1,200 bars signed up. By 2019, the number had increased tenfold to 12,000.

For Campari America, Negroni Week -- “an extremely important initiative,” per vice president of marketing Andrea Sengara -- marks a step forward on the return to on-premise experiential marketing following the pandemic. “We are eager to welcome people back to bars and back into their bar community,” Sengara told Marketing Daily, “but we are strongly encouraging everyone adhere to their local health department guidelines.”

She added that both the hospitality industry and charitable causes “need our support now more than ever.”

To that end, Campari itself this year has donated $100,000, to be divided equally among 50 participating charities.

Imbibe this week is donating $5 of every subscription order to Roots Fund, dedicated to empowering people of color in the wine community. 

Imbibe also handles promotion of Negroni Week, through its bimonthly magazine, website, newsletter, podcast and social media.

Other corporate donations to this year’s Negroni Week include Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits ($10,000, divided equally between Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE) and the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG); Minibar Delivery ($5 from every bottle of Campari purchased to CORE); and Shaker & Spoon ($1,500 from subscription box sales, with Imbibe matching its their donation).

There’s also a Negroni Week Shop online, with merchandise including a BAGGU tote (with $2 of every $20 purchase going to No Us Without You LA); Mover & Shaker (10% of sales to Another Round Another Rally); and Viski glasses (7% of sales to No Kid Hungry).