Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Brings Cîroc Into The Ready-To-Drink Category

While seemingly every celebrity under the sun has a spirits brand attached to their name these days, Sean “Diddy” Combs set the standard. He took the helm of Cîroc in 2007, steering the brand from minor player to multi-billion dollar brand and major phenomenon.

Now, the music mogul is leading Cîroc into the ready-to-drink (RTD) space, launching four flavors of vodka-spiked, ultra-premium canned cocktails.

“When it came to our next innovation, we wanted to disrupt the market,” says Mr. Combs via phone. “We’re coming into the RTD space with a luxury offering. We’re bringing some energy to space and showing the power of Cîroc.”

While the RTD space is valued at $32.94 billion (that number is expected to reach $85.5 billion by 2030) it’s lacking luxury offerings — White Claw isn’t exactly at home at a dinner party. “When I was looking at the landscape, it wasn’t giving me luxury,” says Mr. Combs. “We’re making the category sexy.”

Initial flavors include watermelon kiwi, a zesty orange sunset citrus, pineapple passion, and a creamy coconut and pineapple colada. The line of 4 will join Cîroc’s permanent portfolio on April 1, 2022, at an SRP of $16.99 per 4-pack.

The launch of Cîroc Vodka Spritz comes just in time for summer. “People are going to be outside, picnicking, hitting the beaches and pools,” says Mr. Combs. “We have a product that can really match that sexiness. Something aspirational and most importantly tastes good.”

The rollout will include events and partnerships with his friends and family, both in and out of the record industry. “This launch will have my heaviest onslaught of promotion,” Mr. Combs continues. “Expect very disruptive, social-by-design content. We’re doing a real takeover of RTDs.”

Cîroc Vodka Spritz is one of the newest innovations to come out of Diageo’s big push towards RTDs. Diageo recently opened behemoth new $110-million canning facility in Illinois. The manufacturing facility will bolster the British beverage giant’s RTD portfolio, allowing Diageo to produce 25 million cases of canned cocktails a year across all brands (though Ciroc Vodka Spritz will not be produced there).

In 2007, Diageo called Diddy to help with Cîroc. It’s a unique product — a silky vodka made with a base of mauzac blanc and ugni blanc grapes — but it was dramatically overshadowed by Bacardi’s Grey Goose. Cîroc was moving just 40,000 cases a year – 3% of Grey Goose’s numbers.

But Mr. Combs didn’t want to be just a figurehead for the failing vodka brand. He wanted to play a part in building the brand back up.

Mr. Combs stepped in as brand manager and chief marketing officer. “Everything that Cîroc does, I’m involved in, from the bottle design to picking the flavors to the final taste and all the creatives,” he notes. “My partnership is rare — it’s important to highlight that this isn’t an industry that has a lot of diversity when it comes to decision-making and my involvement been a tipping point.”

On the first day of his partnership, Cîroc was moving just 40,000 cases annually. Now, Cîroc has fervent followers and fans; drinkers who ask for it by name. It’s a staple on high-end back bars and a preferred pour of the well-heeled. “We’re selling 2 million cases a year, worldwide,” says Mr. Combs.

“I told people I was going to make the brand a number one vodka,” he continues. “We’re well on our way – we’ve just become the number one selling vodka outside of Grey Goose in the ultra-premium landscape.”

Diageo North American Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer, Edward Pilkington, states, “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been an incredible partner of DIAGEO for more than 15 years and together we have disrupted the vodka category and continually delivered incredible innovations year after year.”

“I came to Diageo to show the industry what it’s like when you give a person of color the power to make decisions,” Mr. Combs continues. “That’s extremely special.”