From humble beginnings in his New Zealand garage, to global chief of New Zealand super- premium vodka brand 42 Below — a brand making impressive headway in 25 markets and counting — Geoff Ross comes across as a maverick marketer and businessman. Rather than play it safe, 42 Below has grown to become a brand synonymous with controversy, more often than not sparked by an irreverent attitude — exemplified in its '42 Below, drink it straight, or gay' slogan.
"When one gay guy complained about a gay (viral ad) in New York, we told him to stop being a homophobe redneck, and it made it into the New York Daily Post page six, which 20 million people read each day," he recalls. "In the early days, we used to feed controversy, we'd throw a grenade back. Other corporates would have said, 'pull it, get out', but we still went in hard and it was brilliant for our brand," he says.
That's not to say Ross, who prefers to be called 'chief vodka bloke' rather than chief executive officer, discriminates. The French have often been the butt of viral campaigns which employ a 'blokey' sense of humour, as have Australians, and virtually every other group and nationality over the last few years. Ross points out the marketing policy of a brand squarely targeting high-end vodka enthusiasts is born out of a frustration with clients' predilection for safety during his 'suit days' at Saatchi & Saatchi and later DDB in New Zealand. Since then, he points out, the freedom to do what he likes with his own brand has been liberating.
"What used to frustrate the hell out of me was pitching great ideas to clients and then having them kill it. You just pull your hair out because you knew in your heart it was a really great idea," he says.
Ross managed to sell the first bottle of 42 Below in 1999, but out of financial necessity he remained in his advertising day job until 2002, when he made the change. His vodka brand has since won several awards globally, and it is now the number one super-premium vodka by volume in New Zealand and Australia, with other markets like Singapore closing fast, in a category typically dominated by rivals such as Grey Goose and Belvedere.
In Asia, China is the brand's latest market, in addition to earlier rollouts in Thailand, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. But with the success comes a growing propensity to tone things down, in light of sensitivities in other markets.
"I'm now hearing myself saying things that I remember my clients saying, that used to frustrate me," he says. "We are starting to tread a little more carefully, and it is getting harder as we go on. We tried to take an ad in Singapore, but they wouldn't accept the first three versions we sent them, so we are having to adjust for some markets," he notes.
Ross believes that part of the brand's success has been due to the staid nature of the vodka category which he says has been "sleepy and lacking innovation" for years, especially when compared with the dynamic wine and whisky categories.
Much of the communications platform for 42 Below takes a different approach to the brand's key high-end competitors, which focus on class and affluence. PR, events, online (namely viral) and word of mouth form the central part of the 42 Below's push into foreign markets, along with marketing concepts that inspire both comfort and repulsion in equal parts.
The brand's sales teams, for example, often consist of ex-bartenders, who are "able to hop behind the bar and make a cocktail, because they're the ones who can best communicate with the bar staff buying it", says Ross.
Setting out to conquer New Zealand, it took the observation from a new business partner that he should "get a real goal" to convince Ross to take on the world. Since then, things have been a lot more serious, he notes, although one thing has remained the same, an overwhelming desire for growth.
"Initially, we had little moments and dreams, but in the end, it was in for a penny, in for a pound."
