Suffering “Trend Fatigue”? Smirnoff’s New Campaign Counters That with Brand Heritage and a Good Laugh

First it was cottagecore, then goblincore, then it was dark academia, then Y2K, then mob wife… TikTok-driven fashion aesthetics that seem to change by the day are just one facet of this constantly shifting reality where novelty conquers all. New memes, new tech, new challenges. The only thing that stays the same is the nagging uncertainty and feeling that you’re slightly too behind on it all. No wonder consumers and brands alike are tired of chasing trends.

“We have this amazing data that tells us that people are just experiencing trend fatigue,” says Stephanie. “Everything is changing so fast. ”That’s an insight the team at Smirnoff and their agency McCann New York alighted on when developing their new global campaign. That’s why the latest ad centres on timeless product truths and the enduring human need for connection.

The new campaign features the vodka brand’s hero product, Smirnoff No. 21. It follows Steve, a man with a distinctive laugh as he connects with his friend for a giggle at the bar. As the decades pass, the setting and styling changes around him, but what remains is his spirited laugh and Smirnoff No. 21’s triple distilled, ten times filtered quality product.

In the research process the Smirnoff team and their partners at McCann NY discovered that 83% of people trust brands that have heritage.

Inevitably, in 2025 even when a campaign isn’t about AI… on some level, it’s about AI. In this case, the bewildering speed of AI development is part of the social conditions that are leading people to seek trusted brands.

“AI is just amazing,” says Stephanie. “Things are just moving so fast and things that used to take days or hours, now you're able to do in minutes. And it's fascinating. But also it makes it just feel like the world is accelerating constantly.”

Dizzying change aside, the other social factor that shaped this decision to lean on Smirnoff’s reputation and reliable product is the economy.

“I think the other piece is just the downward economic pressure that people are experiencing, you want to make sure that where you’re spending your dollars you’re getting great quality for money,” says Stephanie. “And that’s somewhere that Smirnoff has always been, we’re just this really fabulous vodka with this enduring beverage quality that’s available at a very accessible price point, which also feels very relevant and timely.”

These big strategic forces may have shaped the team’s approach to the campaign, but the execution was characterised by a playfulness. Cuanan Cronwright, EVP, executive creative director, McCann New York says, “‘Why Change a Good Thing’ is Smirnoff at its most authentic – playful, timeless, and just a bit self-aware. Because the truth is: some things, like a great vodka or a good laugh, don’t need reinventing to stay relevant. Smirnoff has been doing this for over a century and we're helping it return to its original DNA - a brand rooted at the centre of good times.”

That playfulness was certainly present during the making of the campaign. “It’s so fun. McCann, they’re such a brilliant agency partner. And of course, as they were bringing it to life we had a few different scripts on the table. We saw the power of the laugh from the very beginning, you literally can’t watch someone laughing without laughing.”

And that laugh was amplified when director Florence Poppy Deary from Biscuit got on board, bringing a surprising perspective to proceedings, thanks to her own unique chuckle. “She was fabulous… that was a really big part of her director treatment. She was like, ‘I personally identify with this’ because she has a great laugh! That was really funny.”

Stephanie explains that the biggest challenge that she faced during the campaign was how to make an ad that focused on the product message that would also be able to connect on an emotional level. That laugh motif was gold. “As always when you’re talking about product, how do you make that emotional connection and not just talk about the product. We have a wonderful product truth, you know, triple distilled, ten times filtered. But I think when you can take a product truth like our commitment to quality and link that to a human truth, that’s the real power of it.”

The campaign launches with the hero film on TV and VOD, alongside social media activity and creator content. Hitting screens and feeds in mid-November, the campaign isn’t a Christmas ad per se but the team is hoping to engage audiences as they organise their festive celebrations.

“This is obviously a super important time of year for us,” says Stephanie. “It’s a really important time for Smirnoff because as we show in the ad, we have long been a part of these celebrations and there's no better way to elevate those celebrations than with a delicious Smirnoff cocktail… So we’re reminding people all the fabulous ways they can enjoy us, from a martini to a Moscow mule in serves that have endured for decades.”