Belvedere Vodka is taking a direct swipe at Diddy’s Ciroc by naming R&B sensation Usher as the new face of their brand.
The “OMG” singer has been named the new face of Belvedere’s social cause campaign that donates half of all profits from a new special-edition bottle to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.
The partnership kicks off tomorrow at a pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles.
Usher will perform at an invitation-only concert to help unveil the special-edition Red bottles which carry the message “Helps Save Lives.”
The bottles which will hit stores in late summer, contain the same vodka as regular Belvedere, which was introduced to North America in 1996 and touts itself as the “world’s first super-premium vodka.”
The campaign will include print ads and in-store promotions.
Charles Gibb, President of Belvedere and Millennium released a statement to Ad Age on the vodka’s new ties to the singer and says the campaign is bigger than just one individual, unlike Ciroc.
“I don’t want to tie the marketing of Belvedere through one individual because I don’t think it’s the way brands are built in the long term…I believe we need to be talking to a diverse group of people.”
