Anchors and hearts are classic tattoos, making them among the most common, even among young people. Given the resemblance to its own logo, legacy gin brand De Kuyper is using as a on opportunity to show those younger Quebecers it is more relevant to them than they might imagine.
Working with agency No Fixed Address, De Kuyper published a call in Canadian media publication Narcity and via the social pages of various tattoo artists and influencers. The brand was looking for anyone with a tattoo that resembled the brand’s own anchor-within-a-heart logo. Anyone with this tattoo was dubbed an “Accidental Ambassador” and photographed for the campaign.
Gin isn’t typically a spirit that’s thought of having a close connection with tattoo culture, an association typically reserved for more “working class” drinks like whiskey and beer, or rum brand Sailor Jerry. But De Kuyper is purposefully trying to go against the grain.
“We’re going against the more refined, sophisticated gin,” says JP Dugal, creative director at NFA. He tells strategy De Kuyper is known as a more rough-and-tumble brand, one that people’s grandfathers drank. A creative approach with tattoos both keeps with that image, but also moves it forward to attract younger demos. Tattoos are “a natural match for that gin,” Dugal says.
“It’s an interesting brand because they have such a long, long history in Quebec,” adds Stuart Macmillan, ECD at NFA. “It has a natural home here.” However, Macmillan notes that the brand has not done any consumer-facing marketing for more than two decades, and its key consumer is “aging out.” Ergo, it was incumbent on the brand to bridge generations and reach out to younger folk, but retain some of its tough persona.
Fond memories associated with the brand, Macmillan says, include hanging out with family and friends, so by activating in the summer, the brand is tapping that kind of sensibility. According to the latest figures, Quebec is the largest contributor to gin’s volume growth in Canada.
According to Dugal, in Montreal, tattoo culture is really prominent and the response from its core target of 25- to 35-year-old lifestyle enthusiasts was a “beautiful surprise.”
According to the agency, hundreds of people responded to the ink call, and a select number were invited to attend an event at the De Kuyper distillery in Old Montreal. In addition to being photographed by celebrated fashion and advertising photographer Jimmi Francoeur for the campaign, the names of the “ambassadors” were put on customized bottles of De Kuyper.
No Fixed Address began working with De Kuyper last fall.
