The week in pictures

This week in the world of drinks: Bombay Sapphire and artist Dan Lam create the world’s first Sensory Auction, Mary J. Blige hosts a tasting of her Sun Goddess wine, and RTD Four Loko recruits student ambassadors as the brand gains momentum in the UK.

Bombay Sapphire has collaborated with artist Dan Lam to create the world’s first sensory auction, where an exclusive work of art is auctioned off to a fan not with the most money, but with the strongest emotional, sensory reaction to seeing the piece.

Singer Mary J. Blige is set to host a tasting of her Sun Goddess wine, which launched this summer.

According to Mary J. Blige, “The name Sun Goddess evokes powerful childhood memories that I carry with me today. I’ve always loved the sun, and as a child, I always tried to capture the sun’s warmth and energy. It was magical to me, and it’s with that spirit that my mom began calling me ‘Sun Goddess.’”

Following a successful UK launch this year and rising popularity with Gen Z consumers, Four Loko, the vodka-based ready-to-drink is now recruiting student ambassadors across seven universities in England and Scotland for a four month-long campaign to take the brand to its key student market.  

Gavin Woodroofe, UKIRE Manager of Phusion Projects said of the student ambassador launch: “The global RTD category is booming, with format and flavour innovation driving consumption occasions and recruiting consumers, especially students. In fact, according to the IWSR it was the only alcohol drinks category that was in volume growth in 2020, up by 43% globally** and insights suggest the growth is expected to continue, with RTDs outperforming the rest of the alcohol market for at least the next five years. 

“It’s the perfect time to launch Four Loko’s student ambassador marketing campaign, to capitalise on the momentum that’s been building in the category so far. For years we’ve been conducting successful marketing drives in the US, creating ‘Epic Stories’ for millennials and Gen Z students. As a result, we have a strong USP and brand awareness that we’re aiming to replicate in the UK.” 

For the fourth consecutive year, Tapì S.p.A. is among the winners of the “Best Managed Companies” award, the Deloitte Private initiative dedicated to Italian corporate excellence.

Have you been out and about this week? Got somewhere you think we should visit? Let us know!