As Thousands Descend on NYC's World Pride, Smirnoff Says ‘Welcome Home'
*By Spencer Feingold*
Smirnoff Vodka is hoping to welcome the thousands of visitors from around the world that are expected to travel to New York City this weekend for the World Pride march with its latest Pride marketing campaign.
Early this month, that company launched its "Welcome Home" campaign, which includes pop-up events throughout the city, two limited-edition Smirnoff No. 21 Pride bottles, and financial support to Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ civil rights group in the U.S.
“We’re a brand that is sold in over 130 countries around the world and that means we know just how many challenges the community is still facing,” Jay Sethi, Smirnoff’s vice president of brand marketing in North America, told Cheddar. “So for the time that they are \[in New York\], we want them to feel at home.”
The company, whose storied history began 155 years ago in Russia, has partnered with actress and LGBTQ activists Laverne Cox, RuPaul's Drag Race star Alyssa Edwards, and Jonathan Van Ness from Netflix’s ($NFLX) Queer Eye.
“What I love most about the gorgeous new Smirnoff 'Welcome Home' campaign is that she shines a light in on how Pride is more than just a party; it's truly a home to our LGBTQIA+ brothers, sisters and non-binary siblings around the world," Van Ness said in a statement.
Van Ness is also hosting the House of Pride event organized by Smirnoff and its parent company Diageo ($DEO) in New York’s Soho neighborhood. The event will be held from Wednesday to Friday and feature several tents “Insta-worthy rooms” that honor the history of the LGBTQ community.
“It will be a celebration of how far this community has really come and yet how far we still have to go,” Sethi told Cheddar.
Yet Smirnoff is not just paying homage to the plight of LGBTQ people because it is Pride month, Sethi said, adding that the company’s support for the community is “in its DNA.”
The company is also showing its support financially, pledging to donate nearly $1.5 million to HRC by 2021.
“These crucial resources will help fuel the fight for LGBTQ equality and accelerate the pace of progress in the years ahead,” Chad Griffin, HRC’s president, said in a statement on Smirnoff’s support.
The company has also received a perfect 100 percent score on the HRC Corporate Equality Index for over ten consecutive years.
“I think the liquor brands have always done a good job \[at honoring Pride\],” Joseph Anthony, the founder and CEO of the marketing firm Hero Group, told Cheddar, adding that corporate support for the LGBTQ community should extend beyond the month of June.
Sethi said that Smirnoff’s commitment to the issue is evident in Cox’s year-round marketing partnership.
Cox “did her homework. She wanted to make sure that we were authentic, and that we really represented the community's interests,” he added.
In a statement, Cox said she hopes her work with Smirnoff “celebrates not just the LGBTQIA+ community here in New York but also recognizes those across the globe, celebrating in their own way. Hopefully with a delicious vodka cocktail in-hand, of course!"
While people have been spending more time on their phones throughout the pandemic, a new report shows they were also spending more money as well. A review from Sensor Tower on the global app ecosystem this year found that the app economy will see record consumer spending in 2021, up nearly 20% from 2020. Sensor Tower director of sales and financial institutions Anthony Bartolacci joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to break down the report.
The future of gambling in Florida recently suffered a major setback after a federal appeals court rejected a request from the state and the Seminole Tribe to allow online sports betting in the state. Now, the tribe has been forced to stop taking bets on its Hard Rock sportsbook app. ESPN gaming writer David Purdum joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what this could mean for the future of sports betting in Florida.
Web3 software startup Thirdweb has raised $5 million in a funding round, coming from a group of high-profile investors, including Gary Vaynerchuk and Mark Cuban. Thirdweb says it is paving the way for the revolution surrounding the new iteration of the internet known as web3, by offering users free tools to build their own web3 projects. Thirdweb's co-founders Steven Bartlett and Furqan Rydhan join Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Decentralized talent network Braintrust recently closed an atypical equity deal that involved investors buying $100 million in Braintrust tokens, the company's cryptocurrency. Braintrust's talent network is built on blockchain technology, which the company says allows it to be owned and built by users, instead of a centrally-controlled corporation. Braintrust users can also earn tokens for their contributions to the network and its growth. Braintrust co-founder Adam Jackson joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Time magazine has unveiled SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk as Person of the Year for 2021. Jeffrey Kluger, editor at large for Time, told Cheddar that Musk's impact on so many facets of forward-looking industries like crypto, solar power, electric vehicles, and especially his work on space travel were the reasons behind the selection. "On balance, Musk is performing on so many levels and in so many venues that it was hard not to consider him our Person of the Year," he said. Kluger also noted that the choice is based upon the influence the subject has had, whether good or bad and is not a judgment on its own.
The recent verdicts of the Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery murder trials have put a spotlight on the country's justice system. Experts have pointed to the explicit racial undertones in the high-profile trials, as well as the increased levels of stress that may be felt by communities of color because of the prevalence of these trials. Kailee Scales, CEO of Pencils of Promise and former first managing director of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Gold Medal ski racer Bode Miller and John Emery, CEO of Alpine-X, discuss the need to make snowsports more affordable and how the new facility in Virginia aims to diversify the sport to urban areas.
Carlos Munoz, Head of Asset Manager Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Engagement at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, discusses how 'The Equity Collective' is helping to diversify the financial services industry and what the initiative means for racial equity.
Headspace Health has just launched the 'Headspace for Teens' social impact initiative, which will offer free access to the Headspace app for all teens ages 13 - 18 in America. Alice Nathoo, head of social impact at Headspace joins Cheddar News to talk about the program.
