How A Splash of Premium Vodka and 2 Parts Diddy Catapulted Cîroc
“[Combs] expanded Cîroc from just a vodka to a lifestyle brand,” said Yodit Gebreyes, founder of the promotion company Talk of DC (talkofdc.com) and a social brand ambassador for Cîroc. That branding appears to be what has set Cîroc apart from its competition. According to SymphonyIRI, Cîroc has grown by 552 percent since signing Combs as brand manager and chief marketing officer.
Cîroc’s massive growth can be attributed to Combs’ marketing team, The Blue Flame Agency, which utilized various forms of media. Cîroc is frequently featured in viral video campaigns, social networking platforms, billboards, in the lyrics of popular songs, sponsored events and, of course, every time one sees Combs there’s never a bottle too far away. Combs even adopted the moniker “Cîroc Obama” during Cîroc’s marketing campaign that coincided with the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama.
Gebreyes credits this non-stop marketing campaign for raising the profile of Cîroc as a brand. “They [The Blue Flame Agency] don’t slack on their marketing or promotion. They do a great job at grabbing people’s attention and keeping it,” she said.
Another strategy that worked in Cîroc’s favor was identifying a key demographic. “Diddy clearly went after the younger hip hop generation,” said David Meares, a bartender at Tonic in Washington, D.C. “It’s smart. They’re a generation that doesn’t already have established drinks.”
However, this strategy does isolate other audiences. Tonic, whose patrons are primarily government workers and the business crowd in their mid 20s to mid 30s, has not seen the demand that Cîroc’s overall sales suggest.
“We get a few request for drinks made with Cîroc but mainly [customers] ask for their ‘go to drinks,’” said Meares.
Hussein-Bey agrees. “Whenever Cîroc is ordered it’s usually by younger customers,” he said. “but most people already have their favorites that they stick to.”
Rob Frankel, noted branding expert and author of the bestseller The Revenge of Brand X: How to 
Build a Big Time Brand on the Web or Anywhere Else, is skeptical of Cîroc’s organic branding success. Frankel contests that Cîroc has not built a brand but is resting on the celebrity of Combs.
“Are people drawn to the vodka? Or are they drawn to Combs?” he asked. “Chances are they’re drawn to Combs, which undermines the brand at the outset, because it’s selling Combs, not the vodka.”
“This, by the way, is the dirty little secret of Nike,” added Frankel. “Nobody can tell you why Nike is a better shoe, which is why Nike keeps pumping celebrities at the public.” The Blue Flame Agency was contacted but declined to comment.
