• by Tanya Gazdik , March 29, 2011

Proximo's Three Olives Vodka aims to bring some fun back to the vodka category with a $10 million ad campaign breaking this week that targets male drinkers in their 20s.

The animated campaign, which includes six 30-second and 15-second spots, is from Los Angeles-based M&C Saatchi, which recently won the business. This is the first new TV creative since 2009, which was created by the brand's previous agency, Agent16.

The ads are part of a fully integrated marketing program that includes print and online advertising, social media, and consumer-generated point-of-sale materials.

TV spots are up on YouTube at YouTube.com/TheThreeOlivesVodka and will run across a number of leading cable networks including ESPN and the ESPN family of networks and DISH Network. The quirky creative aims to appeal to a no-nonsense audience in search of premium-quality vodka.

"It seems that all the fun has been taken out of vodka with virtually all brands scrambling for the same crowded, so-called 'luxury' positioning," said Elwyn Gladstone, Proximo senior vice president of marketing, in a release.

This campaign solely focuses on Three Olives' unflavored brand of vodka, where previously marketing communication was centered around the brand's array of flavored vodkas.

The spots feature unique, stylish animation and the classic jokes that begin with "Three guys walk into a bar..." to connect two things that go together so naturally: good times and Three Olives Vodka. Each spot's opening voiceover begins with the infamous line and feature three Sportscasters, three Sugar Daddies, and three Knights, amongst others.

British artist and illustrator Ant Blades from Bird Box Studios, which also lends a nod to the vodka's British origin, animated the spots.

"We found a way to differentiate Three Olives Vodka by taking one of the most classic joke set-ups in the world by tying it into the product in a simple and fun way -- fun being the key," said M&C Saatchi Creative Director James Bray. "Advertising for many vodka brands is stuffy and overly sophisticated. So instead of trying so hard to be cool, Three Olives Vodka is approachable and timeless."