Dive Brief:
- Hip-hop and celebrity icon Snoop Dogg is entering the gin space with his new brand Indoggo, according to a press release. The offering, the entertainer's first owned and operated alcohol project, has seven premium botanicals infused with all-natural strawberry flavor.
- The gin was developed by Snoop Dogg along with Keenan Towns of Trusted Spirits, a beverage supplier that develops celebrity wine and spirits brands, and Prestige Beverage Group, an importer and brand innovator of wines and spirits.
- Indoggo will first launch in Snoop's home state of California in late September and then continue across the U.S. in early 2021. A 750 milliliter bottle retails for $29.99.
Dive Insight:
Celebrities haven't been shy about tying their name to an alcohol brand, and for good reason. In the past few years, a handful of celebrity-backed booze offerings have been snapped up for big money by Diageo or another company looking to increase their premium offerings or reach a coveted demographic.
Last month, Diageo said it would acquire Ryan Reynolds-backed Aviation American Gin and its parent company Davos Brands in a deal that could be worth $610 million. In 2017, it purchased another celebrity-supported alcohol in super-premium tequila brand Casamigos for up to $1 billion. At the time of the purchase, Casamigos was partly owned and co-founded by actor George Clooney. And in 2011, Beam Global Spirits & Wine purchased the Skinnygirl spirits brand from realty star Bethenny Frankel.
Other celebrities who have entered the alcohol arena include Sean Combs, Post Malone, Brad Pitt and Jay-Z. In the case of Snoop Dogg, the creation of a gin brand builds off of the success of the hip-hop star's 1993 single "Gin and Juice" that instantly gives the product notoriety among fans of the entertainer or who are familiar with the hit. Gin lovers also may want to give the product a try to see how it compares with other brands and Snoop Dogg's association could make that more likely to happen.
Snoop Dogg also has been active in endorsing brands such as 7-Eleven, Beyond Meat, Pepsi, Hot Pockets and EA Sports, according to The Boom Box, so he no doubt knows the best way to promote a product he is connected with. He's no stranger to alcohol either. Earlier this year, he debuted Snoop Cali Red, a wine released as part of a partnership with Australian wine brand 19 Crimes, and in the past he helped pitch Lady Cognac.
Reuters, citing data from the Distilled Spirits Council, said distillers sold nearly 10 million 9-liter cases of gin in the United States in 2019, generating $918 million in revenue, a 3% increase from the prior year. Sales and volumes for distilled spirits have been surging for a decade, with millennials driving much of that growth — and super-premium gin was one of the beneficiaries. While there are other gin offerings on the market like Beefeater London Dry Gin and Bombay Sapphire, Snoop Dogg and his popularity beyond even his hip-hop roots could help Indoggo stand out in an otherwise crowded category.