A new on-trade campaign has been launched by Diageo to develop Turkey’s leading raki brand in the UK, focusing on the message of “unrush your world”.
The first stage of activities for Yeni Raki includes partnerships with 20 top restaurants in London including Fino, Pond Dalston and Beagle, supported by advertising, digital marketing and PR.
London chef Ollie Dabbous supported the launch with a dinner at his Fitzrovia restaurant Dabbous where he created a series of dishes to complement the aniseed taste of the spirit.
Other partner restaurants will each host an intimate dinner to showcase the ritual of slow dining paired with Yeni Raki, with some offering places to competition winners.
The fully integrated campaign, under the banner of “Unrush your world”, was created by KesselsKramer and is also hitting Berlin and Köln in November.
Every element of the campaign has been designed to bring to life the Mediterranean ritual of savouring memorable moments around a “raki sofrasi” (raki table) – a bountiful feast of hot and cold dishes plus raki served with chilled water and ice cubes, in the company of good friends.
Galip Yorgancıoğlu, managing director of Diageo Turkey, said: “There remains a huge opportunity for Yeni Raki, both in Turkey and internationally.
“Our central message to ‘unrush your world’ for this major campaign will resonate with busy consumers globally. Ollie Dabbous’ experimental style and enthusiasm for the ritual of slowing down to enjoy food and drink makes him the perfect partner.”
The visual images of the above-the-line advertising campaign were shot by world-famous photographer Elaine Constantine and show three unique dinner setting scenarios, each one celebrating the act of dining slowly so to remind consumers to ‘unrush your world’.
The digital campaign will include a film that captures the mixing of raki with water and the clouding of the liquid as well as a film featuring Ollie Dabbous in his kitchen discussing his recommended Yeni Raki food pairings.
The outdoor campaign will go live in early spring 2015 in London only and will target on-trend foodie areas such as Borough, Soho and Shoreditch.
A new website www.yenirakiglobal.com will feature recipes, interviews with famous chefs and content about pairing food with Yeni Raki.
Additionally a “Raki and Fish” book investigates the fish culture and cuisine of 11 Mediterranean port cities by top Turkish and Mediterranean chefs. A film of these chefs cooking dishes and sharing them with people at Broadway Market in London will be broadcast online in early 2015.
Yeni Raki is the leading brand within the aniseed beverages market and the 17th most valuable alcoholic beverage within the global alcoholic beverages market, according to Impact Databank using 2014 and 2013 retail value data.
Raki sales in the UK grew by 44% last year, with listings in both Asda and Tesco. Germany is the largest export market for Yeni Raki and home to the largest Turkish population in Europe.
