Is Your Vodka 'Sexy'?

How do you choose your vodka? Is it based on the taste, or on the looks of the brand? The Huffington Post reported on a study of 500 participants, half of whom assessed various vodka bottles on "personality" and the other half who judged the bottles in specific categories, like "sexy," "genuine," "fun," and "celebratory." The vodka brands included were Absolut, Belvedere, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Skyy (a limited run bottle), Tito's, Stolichnaya, Svedka, Grey Goose, Ciroc, Pinnacle, and New Amsterdam. SKYY was the named the winner of the "sexiest vodka bottle."

So, why did SKYY win? The "stark cobalt blue bottle" is lean and tall with a svelte print. According to Affinova (the marketing and technology company behind the study), the package design is crucial to how brands are marketed; the way the bottle looks on the shelf is how customers will judge the brand. Like SKYY, more recent brands such as Svedka and Pinnacle are using daring colors and prints. The study revealed that to the customer, the newer bottles have a striking appearance than older brands, such as Smirnoff.

Brands also market the appearance and price for various age groups. For example, $30 Belvedere bottle, with a mansion on it, is "regal and classy"; on the other hand, Smirnoff is sold at $17 and has a more relaxed and fun look, therefore appealing to the younger crowds.