• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer @MediaPostOTL, April 23, 2007

Can your name double as a city name? Are you a club owner, former pro athlete, restaurateur, fashion designer, philanthropist or lifestyle editor? Then Level Vodka wants your number.

Level is a premium line of vodka under The Absolut Spirits Co. umbrella. In an effort to target its luxury audience short of shoving product down their throats, Grow Marketing devised a series of viral events in test markets last year called Level influencer parties. The events were successful enough for Level to order another round for 2007.

The parties began earlier this month and will run throughout May in Chicago, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Roughly 15 to 20 influencer parties will take place in each market, either at rented spaces hosted by an influencer or at the actual homes of influencers.

"Our post-event evaluation indicated this program hit the mark with consumers," said Gabrey Means, co-founder of Grow Marketing. "Prior to the events, many guests had not yet tried Level, nor did they know of its rich heritage as part of the Absolut family. Guests told us they identified with the sensibility of the brand... and were already telling their friends about the exclusive introduction they experienced," said Means.

Grow researches each market prior to the parties to find a set of people they've deemed influencers. These influencers are then pitched the idea for a Level party.

Once influencers come on board, the party becomes their responsibility to plan. Level provides influencers with a customized invitation to spread word of the party and to keep track of the guest list. The invite prominently mentions Level as the sponsored drink of the event. Grow handles the party logistics, hiring bartenders, caterers, etc.

Guests leave the party with a simple gift bag that includes Level grapefruit zest, which a colleague appropriately named "adult Fun Dip," a card that names the locations where Level is served and sold and a voucher for a $10 cab trio to be redeemed anytime, not necessarily after the Level party.