Smirnoff and Pharrell Williams reveal why ‘the best mixes start pure’ in latest Australian campaign via agency Leo Burnett, Sydney

The Smirnoff Co. has secured an exclusive collaboration with US music and culture icon Pharrell Willliams, who features in a brand new TV and online advertising campaign via Leo Burnett Sydney, created especially for the Australian market.

The commercial, which was shot in L.A., will air nationally on TV and online channels, but Smirnoff will also be offering consumers more information on the making of the campaign if they visit the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page to see exclusive “Behind The Scenes” footage from the shoot including interviews with the Smirnoff marketing manager, Pharrell and other musicians involved in the TVC.

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Pharrell, a master collaborator himself, leads the campaign from start to finish, and takes the consumer on a journey of how his mixes are created. He explains how the best music can be made only when the artist starts with a blank canvas. Featuring his track ‘Truth or Dare’ by adding layer upon layer of the best quality elements, one at a time – the beat, the groove, the vocals – the result, a perfectly mixed, full impact sound that you can’t help dancing to.

The inspiration of the campaign stems from the way a bartender mixes a drink – starting with pure Smirnoff vodka, each ingredient is added to complement the mix. A great tasting mixed drink is born, and is of course, served with the signature style that Smirnoff is world-famous for.

Says Nicole Stanners, marketing manager for Smirnoff: “As the world’s number No 1 vodka, Smirnoff is renowned for delivering the best tasting mixed drinks because of its purity. The concept for the campaign is simple – How you start is everything. The best mixed drinks start pure.

“We wanted to show consumers how Smirnoff, the purest vodka, makes great tasting mixed drinks, in the same way Pharrell mixes a great music track. By using the metaphor of Pharrell’s mind as a blank canvas, we were able to convey this message in a simple, yet imaginative way.”

An added feature of the campaign will be that smart phone users will be able to Shazam the commercial to access additional footage and further information on the campaign from an exclusive micro website. This is claimed to be a first for a TV commercial in Australia.

Says Pharrell: “What really works the best is when opposites attract. This is how I work when I collaborate with talented musicians, I take the true substance of their sound and mix it with what I think complements it best. I like how Smirnoff present a pure vodka, perfect for mixing – this is what I try to do with my music, so I agreed to be a part of this campaign.”

Pharrell was joined by an ensemble of talented musicians from around the globe who helped create the cresecendo of sound that develops during the commercial. Each individual has an important role to play, as well as an interesting story to tell, having worked with world-renowned artists such as Little Richard and Justin Timberlake, and during filming offered their insight on working their way to the top in the music industry.