SIX continents, FOURTEEN countries, ONE audacious idea - SMIRNOFF LAUNCHES THE WORLD’S FIRST NIGHTLIFE EXCHANGE

WEDNESDAY 15th SEPTEMBER 2010: Gear up for the most ambitious social experiment across six continents, 14 countries along with a crateful of ideas! In a move set to break new ground in nightlife experiences, the world’s leading vodka brand, Smirnoff today unveils ‘The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project’.

Continuing on a mission to inspire and enable more one-of-a-kind experiences, this bold attempt will see 14 countries work with respected nightlife figures to discover and celebrate the best elements of their country’s nightlife. These ideas will be captured online, packed-up in a crate and transformed into exciting event experiences. In an epic finale on November 27, the world will swap nights, with each country exchanging the best of their nightlife with that of another.

Smirnoff believes in doing things differently: that when you overturn convention or simply change one of the ingredients of a night out, you can create something special, something extraordinary – a night you look back on and are proud to say “I was there.” Part of the “Be There” campaign, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, the brand’s most audacious mission yet, sees 14 countries embarking on a cultural exchange. Hailing from six continents, the 14 countries taking part - India, USA, GB, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Lebanon, Poland, South Africa, Thailand and Venezuela - represent the many vibrant sights, sounds and tastes of global nightlife culture today, and will each bring a unique and exciting flavour to the project.

Nikhil Chinapa, Nightlife Leader and MTV VJ, will curate The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in India. Elaborating on this extraordinary project, Nikhil Chinapa, reveals, “This is a really ambitious social and cultural experiment. 14 countries, six continents all sharing and exchanging key parts of their social and cultural landscape is huge...the sheer scale of it boggles the mind. So India, get ready as The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project transforms your nightlife.”
Abanti Sankaranarayanan, Marketing and Innovation Director, Diageo India, says, “The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is an ambitious undertaking, the likes of which has never been attempted before by any brand. The BE THERE campaign is all about doing things differently: constantly challenging ourselves and we need you - our consumers - to make it happen.”

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project kick starts its journey in India with the placement of three crates in India’s hippest cities - Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore at Phoenix Mills, Saket Mall and Garuda Mall respectively. These crates symbolize the concept of an exchange - the best nightlife ideas from one country are ‘packed’ off in crates and exchanged with those of another. Interesting ideas like a techno dandia, after-party hunger cravings at Bade Miyan can be swapped via these crates!

In the journey to decide India’s best nightlife, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project will also host pre-parties in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Indore, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi. After careful selection, the vital ingredients of India’s nightlife will be revealed on October 22 in Mumbai. Each country will then pack-up its best nightlife ideas into a crate for one of the other countries to experience on November 27. The question is – which country will India get?

Having already rallied a global online community of over 2 million like-minded people, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project puts these fans and the general public at its very centre. Via dedicated hubs on the internet www.smirnoff.co.in and on Facebook www.facebook.com/smirnoffindian, consumers are invited to make suggestions for what represents the best of nightlife in their country. This could be a specific type of music, a locally-conceived cocktail or a fashion trend unique to a particular part of the world, amongst others. Once the suggestions are in, the Curator, Nikhil Chinapa, will decide what will represent the very best of India’s nightlife in the exchange.

Shape this unique global experience and join the worldwide party on November 27, by becoming a fan at www.facebook.com/smirnoffindian or logging onto www.smirnoff.co.in – it’s set to be an event not to be missed.

Smirnoff encourages you to drink responsibly.

-ENDS-

See Social Media Release here – http://bit.ly/SmirnoffNEPSMR
See Images from the Nightlife Exchange Project here – http://bit.ly/SmirnoffNEP
See the Nightlife Exchange Video here – http://bit.ly/SmirnoffNEPVideo

Notes to Editors
The SMIRNOFF® word and associated logos are trademarks

Event info
All applicants must be above legal drinking age.

Terms & Conditions apply

About Diageo
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines. Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

About Smirnoff
For over a century, SMIRNOFF® has produced premium quality, triple-distilled vodka. Today, SMIRNOFF® is the world’s leading premium vodka brand, with distribution in 130 countries and a number of popular products, including SMIRNOFF ICE™, the world’s leading ready-to-drink alcohol beverage, SMIRNOFF BLACK ICE™ and the SMIRNOFF TWIST™ flavored vodkas. For more information about SMIRNOFF™, visit our website www.smirnoff.co.in .
Smirnoff India is also on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/smirnoffindian
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/smirnoffindia
Flickr: www.flickr.com/people/smirnoffindia
Twitter:www.twitter.com/smirnoffindia

Preetika Mathews
Email: Preetika.mathews@edelman.com
Mobile: +91 9833148149

Tresha Guha
Email: Tresha.guha@edelman.com
Mobile: +91 9820570311

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This release was published on openPR.